li~%l no 



HV 8341 

1922 

Copy 1 tfATE No. 280 



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REPORT 



JOINT SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON COUNTY GOVERN- 
MENT TO INVESTIGATE THE SUBJECT OF COUNTY 
GOVERNMENT IN THE COMMONWEALTH 
AND THE RELATION OF THE COUNTIES 
AND THEIR INSTITUTIONS TO THE 
COMMONWEALTH AND ITS 
INSTITUTIONS 



January, 1922 



COMPLIMENTS OF 
S3L/ D 

OF T.- ., . 

Senator, First Bristol District 



BOSTON 

WEIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS 

32 DERNE STREET 

1922 



>J 










i/e >% 






** 



JOINT SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



Of the Senate. 

ALVIN E. BLISS, Senate Chairman .... Malden. 

WALTER E. McLANE Fall River. 

WESLEY E. MONK Watertown. 

GEORGE D. CHAMBERLAIN Springfield. 

HARRY A. COOKE Worcester. 

Of the House. 

FRANK L. BRIER, House Chairman .... Boston. 

JAMES T. BAGSHAW Fall River. 

DEXTER A. SNOW . . Westfield. 

CLARENCE P. KIDDER . . ' . . . . Cambridge. 

EDWIN G. NORMAN . Worcester. 

FRANK N. COULSON Whitman. 

FREDERIC W. KINGMAN Walpole. 

WALTER T. CREESE Danvers. 

ROLAND D. SAWYER Ware. 

JAMES A. GOODE Boston. 



RICHARD T. HOWARD, Secretary, Boston. 



CONTENTS. 



Order creating Committee 

Organization of Committee 

Development of Penal Institutions . 

Provisions of Laws relating to Penal Administration 

Work of the Committee .... 

Employment of Prisoners . 

Classification and Segregation . 

Lack of Secular and Religious Instruction 

Food 

Productive Industries 

Educational Facilities 

Physical Exercise .... 

Psychiatric Examinations . 

Full-time Chaplain .... 

Home Department .... 

Preparation of Case Histories 

After-care of Paroled Prisoners . 

Aid to Discharged Prisoners 

Health and Reconstruction Work in the Institutions 
State Penal Institutions .... 

Charlestown State Prison . 

Massachusetts Reformatory 

Reformatory for Women, Sherborn 

Bridge water State Farm . 

West Rutland Prison Camp and Hospital 

Medfield Prison Camp 
County Houses of Correction . 

Barnstable County House of Correction 

Berkshire County House of Correction 

Bristol County House of Correction 

Dukes County Jail .... 

Essex County House of Correction at Salem 

Essex County House of Correction at Lawrence 

Franklin County House of Correction 

Hampden County House of Correction 

Hampshire County House of Correction 

Middlesex County House of Correction 

Nantucket County House of Correction 



CONTENTS. 



County Houses of Correction — Concluded 

Norfolk County House of Correction .... 

Plymouth County Jail and House of Correction . 

Suffolk County Jail 

Suffolk County House of Correction .... 

Worcester County House of Correction 

Fitchburg House of Correction ..... 
State and County Training Schools for Juvenile Offenders . 

History of Origin of Training Schools 

County Training Schools ...... 

Industrial School for Girls at Lancaster 

Industrial School for Boys at Shirley .... 

Lyman School for Boys at Westborough 

Essex County Training School at Lawrence 

Hampden County Training School at Feeding Hills 

Middlesex County Training School at North Chelmsford 

Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth Counties Union Training School at Wal 
pole ........ 

Worcester County Training School at Oakdale 
State Agricultural College and the County Agricultural Schools 

Bristol County Agricultural School at Dighton 

Essex County Agricultural School at Danvers 

Norfolk County Agricultural School at Walpole . 
State and County Tubercular Sanatoria and Infirmaries 

Barnstable County Infirmary at Pocasset . 

Bristol County Hospital at Attleboro 

Essex County Tubercular Sanatorium at Middleton 

Hampshire County Sanatorium at Haydenville . 

Norfolk County Hospital at Braintree 

Plymouth County Hospital at Hanson 
Summary of Recommendations ..... 

Minority Report ........ 

Proposed Legislation ....... 



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Ci)e Commontoealtf) of egassacfmgettg* 



From the Journal of the House, January 14, 1921. 
The following order, approved by the committees on rules of 
the two branches, acting concurrently, was adopted in con- 
currence : — 

Ordered, That a joint special committee, to consist of five members of 
the Senate designated bjr the President, and ten members of the House 
of Representatives designated by the Speaker, investigate the subject of 
county government in the Commonwealth, and the relation of the coun- 
ties and their institutions to the Commonwealth and its institutions, with 
a view to promoting administration. 

The committee may, if it deems it necessary, hold public hearings, 
administer oaths, and require the attendance and testimony of witnesses 
and the production of books and documents. It may employ a stenog- 
rapher and incur such expense for travel as it may deem necessary, and 
shall report, with such recommendations as it may deem expedient, to 
the General Court not later than the thirty-first day of March of the 
current year. 



Cfte CommontoealtJ) of £©a00ac|)U0ett0* 



REPORT OF THE JOINT SPECIAL COMMITTEE 
ON COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth 
of Massachusetts in General Court assembled. 

The undersigned members of the Joint Special Committee 
created by the order adopted on January 14, 1921, to investi- 
gate the subject of county government in the Commonwealth, 
and the relation of the counties and their institutions to the 
Commonwealth and its institutions, with a view to promoting 
increased economy and efficiency in State and county admin- 
istration, submit this their report. 

The Committee organized on January 20, 1921, with Hon. 
Alvin E. Bliss of Maiden, chairman, Frank L. Brier of Boston, 
House chairman, and Richard T. Howard of Boston, secretary. 
The work of the Committee has mainly been the investigation 
of the penal institutions of the Commonwealth, subject to the 
general directions of the order creating it. The method has 
been by visits to the institutions themselves and examination 
of the physical property, the inmates, and such inquiries as 
seemed pertinent to the officers and those in charge. The 
Committee has also held various public hearings in Boston, 
Worcester, Springfield and Salem. The Committee has sought 
the unbiased opinion of experts long occupied in the study of 
social conditions. Consideration has been given to similar 
institutions in other States and countries. Every effort has 
been made to consider the welfare of society as a whole by 
the establishment of the best possible agencies for the protec- 
tion of the community and the reformation of the individual 
offender. A detailed report of the Committee's activities is 
given below. For the better understanding of the Committee's 



10 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

work and the subject in general, a brief account is also in- 
cluded in this report of the situation to-day in this Common- 
wealth with regard to the treatment of criminal offenders and 
the development of the prison system. The conclusions of the 
Committee upon the questions raised are also given below. 

THE DEVELOPMENT OF PENAL INSTITUTIONS. 

In 1646 there was passed a law by the General Court of the 
Massachusetts Bay Colony providing for the establishment of 
houses of correction in each county. There were then only 
four counties, and the Plymouth Colony was exercising a sep- 
arate government. The purpose was to provide a place for the 
correction of those guilty of comparatively minor offences, 
and the act was in response to an apparent feeling of concern 
on the part of the inhabitants at the increase of crime. 

At that time the General Court was exercising both execu- 
tive and legislative functions. It was natural, therefore, to 
place the responsibility for the care of these institutions in the 
county courts, or the courts of assistance, which included the 
Governor and other officials acting for the entire body politic. 
Each county court was ordered to select a keeper to be the 
master of the house of correction, to procure materials for the 
industry of the inmates, and to arrange for their employment. 
There were precise directions given for the punishment of all 
inmates upon entrance, and for their release or discharge. 
Directions were given for the employment of all prisoners at 
labor yielding a financial return. No provision was made for 
the segregation or classification of the prisoners either as to sex 
or otherwise. 

Previous to the establishment of the houses of correction 
there had been common jails apparently wherever needed. 
These institutions were local in their origin, control and main- 
tenance. They were used as places of punishment for any 
offender, and as places of detention. 

In 1699, by an act of the Provincial Legislature, the sheriff 
of each county was given the custody and charge of the King's 
common jails, prisons and prisoners in the county where he was 
sheriff. Previously the sheriff, who was sometimes called a 
marshall or beadle, had been the executive county officer. 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 11 

In the same year, 1699, there was passed by the General 
Court a law for the maintenance of houses of correction within 
each county. This was a re-enactment of the original law 
with a restatement of its purposes. The justice of peace at 
the general sessions of the peace hoiden for the counties from 
time to time were in control of the houses. It was their duty 
to select the master and keeper of the house of correction, and 
they had general charge. The general purpose of the laws re- 
mained as heretofore. Some detail was added as to the care 
and treatment of prisoners and their occupation. The house of 
correction was still intended for minor offenders who could be 
committed by the justice of the peace, and was maintained 
for the correction of the offenders, largely by work, with cer- 
tain additional punishment aside from confinement. 

From time to time during this early period there are statutes 
prescribing certain acts to be done by keepers or masters of 
jails and penal institutions. They sometimes refer to pro- 
cedure and sometimes to treatment, reflecting the growing 
humanity of the public, and resulted in more lenient treatment 
and less harsh rules and regulations. 

In 1700 all keepers of the King's prison were obliged to 
return a list of inmates to the courts having jurisdiction of 
prisoners. This was for the purpose of making jail delivery 
by the courts upon the information given. This enactment 
continues to-day with certain modifications for the same pur- 
poses. 

In the beginning of the eighteenth century in the Massa- 
chusetts Bay Province there were established the common jails 
and King's prisons, local in their origin and controlled by the 
executive county officer, the sheriff, established by the various 
communities. These were the houses of correction established 
and maintained by the counties by direction of the Legislature 
and controlled by officials representing the whole body politic. 
As indicated above, there was little recognition of the rights of 
a prisoner as a human being, and little over the necessit.'es of 
existence was provided. 

In 1748 there was a distinct advance in the treatment of penal 
offenders, when a law was passed for segregation of prisoners. 
This act provided for a place apart in which prisoners for debt 



12 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

should be confined. The enactment was brief and incomplete 
as a measure of segregation, but it confined the germ of the 
principle which is recognized to-day as one of the essentials of 
the proper treatment of prisoners. 

In 1783, in prescribing the duties of the sheriff, the Legisla- 
ture enumerated among other things his duty of having the 
custody and charge of the jail or jails within his county and 
prisoners within such jail or jails. This was about the time 
of the adoption of the present Constitution, and it merely 
marks the continuity of the old powers and duties of the 
sheriffs with regard to penal institutions. 

In 1784 certain general provisions were enacted regarding the 
treatment of inmates. The Court of General Sessions, which 
still had control of county affairs, was ordered to erect and keep 
in repair a good and sufficient jail in each town, where a court 
of law was to be held. Detailed instructions as to the keeping 
of records were laid down. The provision for separate rooms 
for 'the prisoners of debt and general prisoners was reaffirmed. 
There were also added specifications for the inspection of all 
prisons in each county by the members of the Court of General 
Sessions, with a view to preserve the health of the inmates. 

In 1787 there was another act for the establishment and 
maintenance of houses of correction containing the same old 
purposes. The matter of regulation and control was entirely 
left to the Court of General Sessions. An important innovation 
was made In this enactment with relation to the products of 
prison labor. In the first instance the proceeds were to be 
used in the maintenance of the prisoner, but a certain portion 
in some cases was to be allowed to the families of the prisoners. 
Furthermore, there was provision made for sick and indigent 
prisoners, so that if their profits would not maintain them 
comfortably they were to be taken care of by the mas'er or 
keeper. The idea of remitting a portion of the proceeds of a 
prisoner's earnings to himself or family marked a distinct ad- 
vance in prison treatment. 

In the beginning of the nineteenth century there had been 
no new class of penal institutions in the Commonwealth, which 
had then succeeded, to the province. The Legislature had 
ordained that certain jails be established in 1784 by the Court 



1 922.] SENATE — No. 280. 13 

of General Sessions, which was a general and not a local body. 
Some advance had been made in humane treatment. The ideas 
of both punishment and reformation were clearly distinguished 
and recognized. The sheriff still had control and custody of 
the jails, and the Court of General Sessions the houses of 
correction. It was still, however, the era of severe corporal 
punishment, of the branding of convicts and archaic sanitation. 

In 1817 there was a recognition by enactment of the duty 
on the part of society for jails to be clean and healthful; and 
for prisoners to observe the rules of cleanliness. For more 
than one hundred years these important matters had been left 
untouched by the Legislature, and entrusted to the discretion 
of each individual keeper without uniformity or standard. The 
principle of segregation was further extended, and minors and 
first offenders in all institutions were to be confined apart 
from notorious offenders and those convicted of infamous 
crimes. These enactments in 1817 were not entirely new in 
principle, but they marked an advance in the application of 
ideas of humane treatment of penal offenders. 

In 1818 certain new regulations for State prison management 
were passed, including that providing for the division of inmates 
into three classes, depending upon conduct. The dress of 
each class was distinctive, and different privileges were given 
to the different classes. Communication between each class 
was prevented as far as possible. There were provisions for 
assistance in procuring employment to well-behaved convicts 
on discharge, and for marking with coloring matter the inner 
skin of the upper left forearm of convicts other than first 
offenders on discharge. 

In 1823 there were general enactments of minor character. 
One requirement specifically made it the duty of keepers of 
jails to furnish prisoners with food, soap, fuel and other nec- 
essaries when properly provided, in default of which there were 
penalties prescribed. At this time was recognized clearly the 
evil of intoxicating liquors, and it was made a severe offence 
for one in control of an institution of this sort to allow such 
to be introduced. The Court of General Sessions was still in 
charge of the houses of correction, and reports were required 
to be made to the court by the jail keepers. Also at this time 



14 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

was recognized the seriousness of the injury by a convict to 
jail furniture or jail property, which was heavily punished. 

In 1825 there was provision for the enlargement of the State 
Prison. A few years previous, namely, in 1811, the Charles- 
town prison had been taken as a State Prison, and to this were 
sent the serious offenders. In the act herein mentioned, there 
was a provision for the erection of a building of unhammered 
stone, adapted to the separate confinement of three hundred 
convicts. There were also other detailed and directory provi- 
sions for the conducting of the State Prison. 

In 1827 there was passed an act providing for the govern- 
ment and regulation of the State Prison. This was a very 
comprehensive statute, and gave in detail the method of prison 
administration. It should be noted that there were appointed 
three inspectors, selected by the Governor, who had general 
control of the prison. The duties of the warden, chaplain and 
physician were then defined, although the offices were not then 
newly created. While the warden was given custody of the 
prison and prisoners, there was a general supervision exercised 
by the three inspectors. 

In the State Prison act of 1827 there were rules for the 
punishment of convicts who disobeyed prison authority. There 
were rules providing in detail the clothing that should be worn, 
and with great precision the amount, kind and quantity of food 
that should be served. It should be noted that the diet pre- 
scribed daily consisted of 1 pound of beef, or 12 ounces of No. 1 
pork, 10 ounces of rye meal, 10 ounces of Indian meal, three- 
quarters of 1 gill of molasses, vegetables and seasonings, appar- 
ently intended to satisfy the moderate demands of a human 
being. In this statute were also provisions for proper action 
on the part of physicians to sick convicts, and the matter of diet 
was placed under his control. There were restrictions upon the 
exercise of solitary confinement. One important feature was a 
section recognizing the rights of a discharged prisoner, providing 
for a good suit of clothes and $5 to be given to each. 

In 1834 there was a provision that the houses of correction 
should be maintained and controlled by the county commission- 
ers of each county. They were given the duty of appointing 
a suitable person to be master or keeper. They were also 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 15 

ordered to establish rules for the governing and punishing of 
prisoners confined in the houses. No serious change was made 
in the purpose of the houses of correction, and they were 
maintained as previously for the treatment of comparatively 
minor offenders. It is important to note that the county com- 
missioners were required to select a number not exceeding five 
who should be discreet and suitable free-holders to see that the 
rules established for the governing of the prisoners were prop- 
erly enforced and duly observed. The county commissioners 
were required under this enactment to inspect all jails and 
houses of correction. The necessity for cleanliness within the 
jails was restated and reaffirmed, and the provisions were given 
in more detail than previously. The necessity for furnishing 
bedding was reaffirmed. Provisions as to punishing offenders 
within prisons by solitary confinement were carefully made to 
fit each individual case, and to prevent unnecessary suffering. 
In all instances the food in solitary confinement was bread and 
water. The idea of harsh punishment had not vanished at that 
time, as in certain instances the use of log and chain was per- 
mitted while the prisoners were at labor. All humane regula- 
tions, however, as to segregation were reaffirmed. 

During the latter part of the nineteenth century the advance 
in the Commonwealth consisted in the establishment of new 
institutions as being more beneficial to criminals. The idea of 
reformation has tended to displace the idea of punishment. 
More humane treatment of the offender has to some extent been 
required by enactment. A separate institution for women was 
established in 1877. A reformatory for the younger convicts 
was established in 1884. The State Farm for the treatment of 
offenders of a minor character, principally inebriates, by work 
in the open air succeeded the workhouse. Various institu- 
tions have been established for juvenile offenders. There has 
been a growing demand for segregation and classification as 
furnishing better opportunities for reform. Aside from these 
general provisions for the establishment of new institutions, the 
new legislation for the control and administration of prisons and 
prisoners has been surprisingly little. 

At the present time in our Commonwealth the jails and 
houses of correction are practically consolidated except in Bos- 



16 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

ton, and maintained and supplied by the counties through the 
county commissioners. The jails are used for housing persons 
awaiting trial and held as witnesses. The houses of correction 
are used for the correction of those sentenced for minor crimes 
and those whose record and conduct do not require more 
serious punishment. The houses of correction are controlled by 
the sheriff of each county, who usually acts as keeper, and 
always selects his assistants. In practice both institutions 
receive prisoners from the county in which they are located. 

The other group of institutions is controlled by the Commis- 
sioner of Correction, chosen by the Governor, and consists of 
the State Prison at Charlestown, the Massachusetts Reform- 
atory, the Reformatory for Women and the State Farm. These 
institutions draw on the entire Commonwealth and are main- 
tained bv the Commonwealth. 



CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE GENERAL LAWS NOW IN 
FORCE RELATING TO IMPORTANT PHASES OF PENAL 
ADMINISTRATION. 

Commissioner of Correction — Powers and Duties. 

The commissioner of correction, in this chapter called the commissioner, 
shall have the genera] supervision of the state prison, the Massachusetts 
reformatory, the prison camp and hospital, the state farm and the reform- 
atory for women, and of jails and houses of correction. He shall make 
rules for the direction of the officers of such institutions in the perform- 
ance of their duties, for the government, discipline and instruction of the 
convicts therein, for the custody and preservation of the property con- 
nected therewith, for the supply of food, clothing and bedding in the 
state prison, Massachusetts reformatory, prison camp and hospital, state 
farm and reformatory for women, for teaching prisoners who are com- 
mitted to jail or house of correction for six months or more to read and 
write, for securing proper exercise for unemployed sentenced prisoners in 
jails and houses of correction, and for securing medical examination and 
supervision of prisoners in jails and houses of correction punished by 
solitary imprisonment. As soon as may be after such rules have been 
made the commissioner shall submit copies thereof to the governor and 
council, who may approve, annul or modify them. Jailer, keepers of 
houses of correction, county commissioners and the penal institutions 
commissioner of Boston shall make no rules inconsistent with the afore- 
said rules. He shall also from time to time cause to be printed in con- 
venient form the rules of the board of parole and the statutes relating to 
the duties and powers of said board, and shall annually during the month 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 17 

of January cause to be mailed one copy thereof to each justice of the 
superior and district courts, each trial justice, each sheriff and to each 
master, keeper, warden or superintendent of the penal institutions in the 
commonwealth, and to the commission on probation two hundred copies 
thereof. (Chapter 124, section 1.) 

The commissioner shall keep informed as to the management and con- 
dition of all institutions under bis supervision or control. He may ex- 
pend annually in the performance of his duties and for necessary clerical 
assistance such sum as may be appropriated therefor by the general court. 
He or one of his deputies shall make frequent visits to such institutions, 
and investigate the management, condition and discipline of the insti- 
tutions and the treatment of the inmates, and the books of the said in- 
stitution shall be open for his examination. The commissioner or any 
representative designated by him may attend any meeting of the parole 
board. (Chapter 124, section 2.) 

The commissioner shall, at least once in six months, report in writing 
to the governor the condition of the state prison, Massachusetts reforma- 
tory, prison camp and hospital, state farm and the reformatory for women, 
and shall so report to the governor when, in his judgment, the conditions 
of administration, financial management or discipline in any of said insti- 
tutions require executive action. (Chapter 124, section 5.) 



Health of Penal Inmates. 

District health officers shall annually make such examination of police 
station houses, lockups, houses of detention, and except in the county of 
Suffolk, jails, houses of correction, prisons and reformatories as in the 
opinion of the department may be necessary to ascertain their sanitary 
condition. (Chapter 111, section 20.) 

The department shall make rules for police station houses, lockups, 
houses of detention, jails, houses of correction, prisons and reforma- 
tories, regarding the care and use of bedding, and the ventilation of the 
buildings. A copy of such rules as are applicable to station houses, houses 
of detention or lockups shall be sent by the said department to the mayor 
of every city and to the selectmen of every town to which the rules apply; 
and a copy of such rules as are applicable to jails, houses of correction, 
prisons or reformatories shall be sent by the department to the proper 
authorities. Said officials shall enforce said rules. (Chapter 111, sec- 
tion 21.) 

The physician of the reformatory for women shall devote her entire 
time to the service of the reformatory. ('Chapter 125, section 36.) 

If disease breaks out in a jail or other county prison, which, in the 
opinion of the inspectors of the prison, jnny endanger the lives or health 
of the prisoners to such a degree as to render their removal necessary, 
the inspectors may designate in writing a suitable place within the same 
county, or an}^ prison in a contiguous county, as a place of confinement 



18 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

for such prisoners. Such designation, having been filed with the clerk 
of the superior court, shall be a sufficient authority for the sheriff, jailer, 
master or keeper to remove all prisoners in his custody to the place desig- 
nated, and there to confine them until they can safely be returned to 
the place whence they were removed. Anv place to which the prisoners 
are so removed shall during their imprisonment therein be deemed a 
prison of the county where they were originally confined, but they shall 
be under the care, government and direction of the officers of the county 
where they are confined. (Chapter 126, section 26.) 

The keeper of each jail and the master of each house of correction 
shall, at the county's expense, cause it to be constantly kept in as cleanly 
and healthful a condition as may be. No permanent vault shall be used 
in any apartment. Every room occupied by a prisoner shall be furnished 
with a suitable bucket, with a cover made to shut tight, for the necessarj^ 
accommodation of such prisoner, and such bucket, when used, shall be 
emptied daily and shall be constantly kept in good order. (Chapter 120, 
section 25.) 

An inmate of a public charitable institution or a prisoner in a penal 
institution who is afflicted with s} r philis, gonorrhoea or pulmonary tuber- 
culosis shall be forthwith placed under medical treatment, and if, in the 
opinion of the attending physician, it is necessary, he shall be isolated 
until danger of contagion has passed or the physician determines his 
isolation unnecessar}'. If at the expiration of his sentence he is afflicted 
with sj'philis, gonorrhoea or pulmonary tuberculosis in its contagious or 
infectious symptoms, or if, in the opinion of the attending ph3 r sician of 
the institution or of such physician as the authorities thereof may consult, 
his discharge would be dangerous to public health, he shall be placed 
under medical treatment and cared for as above provided in the insti- 
tution where he has been confined until, in the opinion of the attending 
physician, the said symptoms have disappeared and his discharge will 
not endanger the public health. The expense of his support, not exceed- 
ing three dollars and fifty cents a week, shall be paid by the town where 
he has a settlement, after notice of the expiration of his sentence and of 
his condition to the overseers of the poor thereof, or, if he is a state pauper, 
to the department of public welfare. (Chapter 111, section 121.) 

The commissioner may institute a system of physical training, includ- 
ing military drill and organized athletic sports in any penal institution 
in the commonwealth, to be under the direction of the director of physical 
training of the department. He mav prescribe the powers and duties of 
the director and may adopt rules and regulations to carry out this sec- 
tion. (Chapter 127, section 19.) 

The physician shall devote his entire time to the sendee of the Massa- 
chusetts reformatory. (Chapter 125, section 28.) 

The state prison physician shall have the direction of the subsistence 
and diet of the convicts in the hospital; but his order for all articles of 
comfort and indulgence not included in their regular hospital rations 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 19 

shall be in writing and for a term of not more than one week. (Chapter 
125, section 19.) 

The state prison physician shall visit the hospital of the prison at least 
once a day and as much oftener as necessary, shall prescribe for sick con- 
victs, and attend to the regimen, clothing and cleanliness of convicts im 
the hospital. He shall keep a regular journal of all admissions to the 
hospital, the time of admission, the nature of the disease, his prescrip- 
tions, the treatment of each patient and the time of his discharge from 
the hospital or of death. The journal shall also contain entries of all 
orders given for supplies for the hospital department, specifying the ar- 
ticles ordered, and it shall remain at the prison. All such orders shall be 
in writing, and the warden shall provide the supplies so ordered. (Chap- 
ter 125, section 17.) 

If a convict complains of illness requiring medical aid, notice thereof 
shall be given to the state prison physician, who shall visit the convict, 
and if in his opinion the illness requires the convict's removal to the hos- 
pital, the warden may order such removal, and the convict shall remain 
in the hospital until the physician determines that he may leave it with- 
out injury to his health. (Chapter 125, section 18.) 

He, the state prison physician, shall attend upon all insane convicts, 
and if in his opinion they can be removed to the prison hospital without 
detriment or danger to the other patients or inmates of the prison, he shall 
order them so removed, and shall see that they have sufficient daily exer- 
cise outside their cells or places of confinement. (Chapter 125, section 20.) 

Treatment of Prisoners. 

The warden and officers of the state prison shall treat the prisoners 
with kindness so long as they merit such treatment by their obedience, 
industry and good conduct. (Chapter 127, section 32.) 

Every inmate of a penal or reformatory institution shall be allowed to 
write letters to the principal officer or to any supervising officer thereof. 
A locked letter box, accessible to the inmates, shall be placed in each insti- 
tution, in which they may deposit such letters, and such letters shall be 
duly delivered according to the address thereon. The keys of the boxes 
in the state prison, Massachusetts reformatoiy, reformatory for women, 
prison camp and hospital and state farm shall be kept by the commis- 
sioner, and of those in each of the other institutions bj^ the principal 
officer thereof. (Chapter 127, section 87.) 

Officers having custody and charge of prisoners in the several prisons 
and other places of confinement shall see to it that every cell therein 
which may be used as a place of solitary imprisonment is properly ven- 
tilated and furnished with a form of boards, not less than six and one 
half feet long, eighteen inches wide and four inches high from the floor, 
and with a sufficient amount of bedding to protect the health of the in- 
mate from injury. The commissioner shall ascertain whether the re- 
quirements of this section are observed. (Chapter 127, section 47.) 



20 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

All penal and reformatory institutions shall be suitably and sufficiently 
ventilated. Food, clothes, beds and bedding therein shall be of good 
quality and of sufficient quantity for the sustenance and comfort of the 
prisoners, and the bedding shall include mattresses, blankets and pillows. 
The warden of the state prison, the superintendents of the Massachusetts 
reformatory, the reformatory for women, the prison camp and hospital 
and the state farm, respectively, and the keepers and masters of jails 
and houses of correction shall see that strict attention is constantly given 
to the personal cleanliness of all prisoners in their custody. They shall, 
at least once a week, cause the shirt of each prisoner to be washed, each 
male prisoner to be shaved, and each prisoner to have a bath of cold or 
tepid water applied to the whole surface of the body if such bath would 
not, by reason of illness, be hurtful or dangerous. Each prisoner shall be 
provided daily with as much clean water as he needs for drink or for the 
purpose of personal cleanliness, and wath a clean tow r el once a week. 
Clothes shall not be washed or hung out wet in any room which shall be 
occupied by a prisoner during the night. All prisoners who are not in 
solitary confinement shall be served three times each day wdth a sufficient 
quantity of wholesome food, well cooked and in good order. (Chapter 
127, section 35.) 

Punishment and Discipline. 

The warden shall cause all necessary means to be used to maintain 
order in the state prison, enforce obedience, suppress insurrection and 
prevent escapes, and for that purpose he may at all times require the aid 
and utmost exertions of all the officers of the prison except the chaplain 
and the physician. (Chapter 127, section 33.) 

Punishment by the use of the gag shall not be allowed in any penal, 
reformatory or charitable institution. An officer of any such institution 
who uses a gag as a punishment shall be punished by a fine of not more 
than fifty dollars. (Chapter 127, section 38.) 

A prisoner in the state prison sentenced to solitary imprisonment or 
subject thereto for a violation of the rules and regulations of the prison 
shall be confined in a solitary cell and be fed with bread and water only, 
unless the physician of the prison certifies to the w r arden that his health 
requires other diet. (Chapter 127, section 41.) 

No communication shall be allowed between prisoners in the state 
prison and any person without the prison. The prisoners shall be con- 
fined in separate cells in the night time, and all intercourse between 
them in the daytime shall, so far as practicable, be prevented; but the 
warden ma} r , at such times and under such circumstances as he considers 
expedient, w r ith the consent of the commissioner, allow them to assemble 
in the yard for recreation and exercise. (Chapter 127, section 34.) 



1922.1 SENATE — No. 280. 21 



Segregation of Prisoners. 

Male and female prisoners shall not be put or kept in the same room 
in a jail or house of correction; nor, unless the crowded state of the insti- 
tution so requires, shall any two prisoners, other than debtors, be allowed 
to occupy the same room, except for work. Persons committed for debt 
shall be kept separate from convicts and from persons who are confined 
upon a charge of an infamous crime. Conversation between prisoners in 
different apartments shall be prevented. Minors shall be kept separate 
from notorious offenders and from persons convicted of an infamous crime. 
Persons committed on charge of crime shall not be confined with convicts, 
and prisoners charged with or convicted of a crime not infamous shall 
not be confined with those charged with or convicted of an infamous 
crime, except while at labor or assembled for moral or religious instruc- 
tion, at which time no communication shall be allowed between prisoners 
of different classes. (Chapter 127, section 22.) 

The commissioner may, with the approval of the governor and coun- 
cil, provide for grading and classifying the prisoners in the state prison, 
the Massachusetts reformatory, and the reformatory for women, and 
may establish rules for dealing with the prisoners in the state prison 
according to their conduct and industry and with the prisoners in the 
Massachusetts reformatory and the reformatory for women according to 
their conduct, industry in labor and diligence in study. (Chapter 127, 
section 20.) 

Inspection of Jails and Houses of Correction. 

The county commissioners shall be inspectors of the prisons in their 
counties. They shall twice in each year, at intervals of not exceeding 
eight months, themselves or by a committee of two of their members, 
visit all the prisons in their county, and fully examine into everything 
relative to the government, discipline and police thereof; and as soon 
as may be after each inspection, the committee shall make and subscribe 
a detailed report to the commissioners of the condition of each prison as 
to health, cleanliness and discipline at the time of inspection, the num- 
ber of prisoners confined there within the preceding six months or since 
the last inspection, the cause of confinement, the number of prisoners 
usually confined in one room, the distinction, if any, usually observed 
in the treatment of different classes of prisoners, the punishment in- 
flicted, any evils or defects in the construction, discipline or management 
of such prisons, the names of prisoners who have been discharged or par- 
doned or who have died or escaped, and any violation or neglect of law 
relative to such prisoners, with the causes, if known, of the violation or 
neglect. (Chapter 127, section 1.) 



22 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 



Removal and Transfer. 

A sentence to a house of correction shall be executed in any house of 
correction in the county. (Chapter 126, section 10.) 

The commissioner may remove to the prison camp and hospital any 
male prisoner in the state prison, the Massachusetts reformatory, the 
state farm, or in aDy jail or house of correction appearing by the certifi- 
cates of the prison physician to be suffering from any disease of a tuber- 
cular nature. He may at any time return to the original place of impris- 
onment any prisoner so removed. A prisoner shall be held in the place 
to which he is so removed or returned according to the terms of his orig- 
inal sentence. (Chapter 127, section 79.) 

The commissioner may remove a prisoner held in the state prison upon 
a sentence for a term of j T ears to the Massachu setts reformatory, and may 
at any time return him to the state prison. (Chapter 127, section 97.) 

The sheriff in anj r county, except Suffolk, may remove prisoners from 
one jail to another or from a jail to a house of correction or from a house 
of correction to a jail in his own county. (Chapter 127, section 115.) 

The commissioner may remove from one jail or house of correction to 
another, or to the Massachusetts reformatory, or to the reformatory for 
women, a prisoner sentenced to such jail or house of correction by any 
court of the United States. (Chapter 127, section 113.) 

Religion. 

An inmate of any prison or other place of confinement or public chari- 
table or reformatory institution shall not be denied the free exercise of 
his religious belief and the liberty of worshipping God according to the 
dictates of his conscience in the place where he is confined; and he shall 
not be required to attend any service or religious instruction other than 
that of his own religious belief, if religious services and instructions of 
his own belief are regularly held at the institution; and he ma} r , in ill- 
ness, upon request to the warden, superintendent, keeper or master, 
receive the visits of any clergjnnan whom he may wish. The officers 
having the management and direction of such institutions shall make 
necessary regulations to carry out the intent of this section. This section 
shall not be so construed as to impair the discipline of any such institu- 
tion so far as may be needful for the good government and safe custody 
of its inmates, nor prevent the assembling of all the inmates, who do not 
attend a regularly held religious service of their own belief, in the chapel 
thereof for such general religious instruction, including the reading of 
the Bible, as the officer having charge of the institution considers ex- 
pedient. (Chapter 127, section 88.) 

The warden of the state prison, with the consent of the commissioner, 
may cause a Sabbath school to be maintained in the prison for the in- 
struction of the prisoners in their religious duties, and may permit such 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 23 

persons as he considers suitable to attend it as instructors, under such 
regulations as the commissioner may establish. The warden may also, 
subject to the restrictions and regulations of the commissioner, main- 
tain schools of instruction for the prisoners at such times, except on Sun- 
day, as he, with the approval of the commissioner, may determine, and 
for such purpose may expend, from the appropriation made for the sup- 
port of the prison, not more than two thousand dollars annually. (Chap- 
ter 127, section 89.) 

The keeper or master of a jail or house of correction shall, at the ex- 
pense of the county, provide a copy of the Bible or of the New Testament 
for each prisoner under his charge who is able and wishes to read, which 
may be used by him at proper seasons during his confinement. He may, 
at the expense of the county, provide books and papers for such prisoners, 
but not exceeding in cost one hundred dollars a year. The county com- 
missioners may, in their discretion and at the expense of the county, 
provide moral and religious instruction for such prisoners. (Chapter 127, 
section 93.) 

Discharged Prisoners. 

The male agents employed to aid discharged male prisoners shall en- 
deavor to secure employment for prisoners who have been permanently 
discharged or released on permit from the state prison, the Massachu- 
setts reformatory, the state farm or the prison camp and hospital, provide 
said prisoners with needed assistance and perform such other duties rela- 
tive to discharged or released prisoners as the commissioner requires. 
They shall also obtain information for the commissioner relative to pris- 
oners committed to institutions under his supervision, especially as to 
the details of their offences and their previous character and history. 
They may for that purpose require of the police authorities any facts in 
their possession relative to such prisoners if the communication thereof 
will not, in the opinion of said authorities, be detrimental to the public 
interest. (Chapter 127, section 158.) 

The commissioner may expend not more than eleven thousand dollars 
annually for the assistance of prisoners released from the state prison, 
the Massachusetts reformatory, the reformatory for women, the state 
farm, the prison camp and hospital, or from any institution to which 
they were removed therefrom. (Chapter 127, section 160.) 

The warden of the state prison may pay from the treasury of the prison 
not more than five dollars to any prisoner leaving the prison, who, in the 
opinion of the warden, by his good conduct deserves it, or he may, in his 
discretion, pay it to the agents appointed under section one hundred and 
fifty-eight, who shall expend for the benefit of such prisoners what they 
thus receive, and shall account therefor to the commissioner. A prisoner 
who leaves the state prison shall be provided with decent clothing. (Chap- 
ter 127, section 162.) 

The county commissioners may provide a prisoner released from prison 
with such amount of money as in their opinion can be wisely used to en- 



24 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

courage his reformation, or they may pay it to a suitable person desig- 
nated by them to be used for such prisoner. (Chapter 127, section 104.) 
The master or keeper of a jail or house of correction may, with the 
approval of the county commissioners, expend such amount, not exceed- 
ing ten dollars, in aiding a prisoner discharged from his custody as in 
his opinion will assist such prisoner in his endeavor to reform. He may 
in his discretion pay it to the prisoner, or to some person selected 
by the master or keeper, to be expended by him in behalf of the 
prisoner or for providing the prisoner with board, clothing, transpor- 
tation or tools. The amount so paid by the master or keeper shall be 
allowed and paid by the county like other prison expenses. (Chapter 
127, section 165.) 

WORK OF THE COMMITTEE. 

Immediately after the organization of the Committee several 
executive sessions were held at which officials of State depart- 
ments were interviewed, information gathered as to former in- 
vestigations, and plans laid for the work ahead. 

It was soon realized by the Committee that while the Legis- 
lature was in session the members would not be able to devote 
to the investigation the time which an undertaking of this 
importance demanded. Attendance at the daily sessions in 
their respective branches, as well as the regular committee 
work, required the almost constant attention of the members, 
especially those connected with two or more important legis- 
lative committees. The Committee was therefore obliged to 
confine its public hearings and its tours of inspection of insti- 
tutions to the interim between the adjournment of the Legis- 
lature on Fridays until the reopening of the sessions on Mondays. 

Regardless of the adverse conditions which confronted the 
Committee, public hearings were held at Boston, Worcester 
and Springfield, and the Committee managed to go as far as 
Pittsfield in its inspection of institutions. After the Legisla- 
ture was prorogued, the Committee held public hearings wher- 
ever and whenever the occasion demanded, and visited the 
institutions which were inaccessible during the busy days of 
the legislative session. 

That a comprehensive understanding of county institutions 
might be gained, and comparisons made with State institu- 
tions of a similar kind, it was determined that the following 
groups of institutions should be inspected: first, the State 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 25 

penal institutions and the county jails; second, the State and 
county tubercular sanatoria and infirmaries; third, the State 
and county training schools for juvenile offenders; fourth, the 
State Agricultural College and the county agricultural schools. 
As a result of its visits to the institutions, the Committee 
makes several recommendations as to the future policy of the 
State toward these institutions, in the hope that Massachusetts 
may continue her leadership among the States in the care of 
her unfortunate dependents. 

The Committee during its existence visited 34 county and 
19 State institutions in addition to holding 9 public hearings 
and 36 meetings. 

From the very beginning the Committee adopted the policy 
of "visiting the institutions unannounced." This was because 
the members wanted to inspect under conditions as they 
ordinarily existed. The Committee was fortunate in having 
among its members several who had previously visited prac- 
tically all the institutions while serving upon regular legislative 
committees. 

Every institution was thoroughly inspected. The heating, 
lighting, ventilating, sanitary arrangements, egresses in case 
of fire and the physical condition generally of every division 
or unit of each institution were carefully examined. The 
quarters for officials and subordinates, the farm buildings, 
storehouses and other buildings were also inspected. 

At every institution visited the committeemen in the absence 
or presence of officials, whichever was advisable, interviewed 
inmates under the jurisdiction of those in charge, and dili- 
gently inquired about the relations existing between the official 
staff and subordinates on one side, and those under their care 
on the other. This was particularly so in the institutions for 
the care of the sick. Particular attention was paid to the 
food and service. Food was sampled and menus for a definite 
period studied and compared with those in corresponding insti- 
tutions. At most of the institutions, especially those utilized 
for the care of the sick, the food was all that could be expected. 
At a few, however, there was occasion for criticism, and the 
Committee did not hesitate to express opinions and suggest 
remedies. 



26 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

The Committee, however, centered its attention upon the 
problem of State control of county jails. This problem is by 
no means a new one, but has been under constant discussion 
during the last half century. Many Legislatures have con- 
sidered it and three Governors have recommended it, namely, 
Governors Wolcott, Foss and Cox. 

In 1870 the following plank was adopted by the American 
Prison Association at its meeting in Cincinnati: — 

As a principle that crowns all, and is essential to all, it is our convic- 
tion that no prison system can be perfect, or even successful to the most 
desirable degree, without some central authority to sit at the helm, guid- 
ing, controlling, simplifying and vitalizing the whole. 

We ardently hope yet to see all of the departments of our 
preventive, reformatory and penal institutions in each county 
moulded into one harmonious and effective system, its parts 
mutually answering to and supporting each other; and the 
whole animated by the same spirit, aiming at the same subjects, 
and subject to the same control, yet without loss of the advan- 
tages of voluntary aid and effort wherever they are attainable. 

To devise a method of unifying, guiding and controlling the 
development of all our penal institutions in the interest of both 
economy and of a more intelligent and accurate conception of 
crime, its causes and treatment, has been the chief problem of 
your Committee. 

That the need of this may be manifest some of the condi- 
tions which were found to exist and which the Committee 
believe can be rectified under the directions of a controlling 
authority will be commended upon. 

Employment of Prisoners. 

The most flagrant evil of the county houses of correction is 
the lack of wholesome and steady employment for the inmates. 
In most of the houses of correction the only employment of the 
prisoners is in keeping the institution clean, and in work about 
the grounds and kitchen. In the smaller houses of correction, 
where the discipline is less strict, many idle hours are spent 
each day loafing about the prison corridors. Here the young 
fellow in jail for the first time, who is supposed to be under- 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 27 

going a process of moral regeneration, after he has done his 
part of the cleaning each day, whiles away his time in card 
games, or in conversation with the drunkard, the drug addict, 
the vagrant, the professional thief and those afflicted with 
venereal diseases. Enforced idleness is the greatest hindrance 
to reform, for the impulses which all human beings have must 
find some outlet or method of expression. Hence, prison life, 
as we find it in our county institutions, multiplies bad habits 
and accentuates weakness and viciousness. 



Classification and Segregation. 

Passing through the county jails and houses of correction 
there are annually a procession of about 10,000, few of whom 
have deliberately chosen the evil rather than the good, but 
most of whom are victims of heredity or environment, but 
none the less a menace to society, requiring both restraint and 
correction. These both demand and deserve individual treat- 
ment according to the nature developed in them. From many 
inquiries made we are led to believe that a substantial per- 
centage of the inmates of our houses of correction are feeble- 
minded or abnormal, and are about the same kind of people 
as we are now caring for in our institutions for the feeble- 
minded and insane. This condition also applies to the inmates 
of our State penal institutions. This percentage may seem 
large, but it must be kept in mind that probation has greatly 
reduced the prison population, and that rarely is there a sen- 
tence imposed for the first conviction of a petty offence. Hence 
the prison population of to-day is decidedly inferior, both men- 
tally and physically, to that of a generation ago. Those having 
venereal diseases mingle with the other prisoners, and if their 
sentence is for a short term, of necessity must leave the in- 
stitution with the disease in the communicable stage. This 
problem is given much more attention in our State institutions 
than it is possible to give it in county institutions. Many of 
the prisoners are recidivists, habitual offenders, who have 
spent many years within prison walls, while many others are 
serving their first and probably only sentence. From notes 
made by the Committee it was found that the most frequent 



28 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

offences were those of vagrancy, drunkenness, petty larceny 
and disturbing the peace, while thirty other offences were listed. 

It was not possible for the Committee to assemble data 
regarding age, sex, race, mental and physical conditions, and 
previous prison records, but it was noticeable that the larger 
number were between the ages of twenty-one and thirty, and 
that there was a decided preponderance of single persons; 
also that there is a much larger proportion of male than of 
female misdemeanants, probably due to the leniency of both 
the police and the court toward women. The average is 
about 1 woman to 8 men. 

Another class to whom little consideration has been given, 
numbering about one-quarter of the inmates of our county 
jails, are those still innocent, awaiting trial, both men and 
women, who of necessity, under present conditions, must be 
treated like those convicted and serving sentence. 

While the Committee realizes that it will be physically im- 
possible to classify and group all these various classes, yet a 
beginning should be made. Under a unified control there 
could be segregated classes in various institutions according 
to age, mental capacity, physical condition and criminal ex- 
perience. 

Lack of Secular and Religious Instruction. 

On account of the small population and the cost it is not 
possible for the county institution to attempt to provide the 
inmates with adequate educational facilities. Not only that, 
but the idea is universal among county officials that the house 
of correction is for the purpose of punishment, and that there 
is no obligation resting upon them to attempt to teach a trade, 
or to afford an opportunity to secure an education sufficient to 
enable an inmate, when released, to secure an occupation. As 
pointed out by a previous committee the county jail is the 
unchanged survivor of the time in the treatment of law break- 
ers when punishment was the sole object of confinement. Un- 
der the conditions existing in our county jails, six months to 
two and one-half years spent there as a punishment can only 
have a degrading influence in the life of the misdemeanant, and 
he is restored to society without any help along constructive 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 29 

lines having been extended to him. In most instances cir- 
cumstances over which he has had no control have deprived 
him of the chance to secure an education or learn a trade, yet 
the State, when it has him within its power, neglects this op- 
portunity to assist him. There is no sound reason why a 
young man bad enough to be sent to the Concord Reformatory 
should be provided there with the facilities of securing a fair 
education and taught a good trade, when, if by chance he is 
sent to a county jail, he is denied both of these advantages. 
What we need in these institutions to-day are some agencies 
for reformation. We have abandoned to a considerable extent 
the iron discipline and cruelty of the old prison because they 
were absolutely negative in their purpose and effect, and have 
replaced them with a discipline in which there is some human 
sympathy and understanding, but we must do more than this. 
We must provide the inmates with the chance to return to 
society better equipped both mentally and physically to succeed 
in the ordinary walks of life. 

Religious instruction has no part in the routine of a county 
jail. If the county has provided a small salary, then an occa- 
sional service or mass is held, otherwise the minister and priest 
are not in evidence. 

Food. 

The Committee found as many different ideas of diet and 
service as there were institutions in the State. There is no one 
thing that can make a group of men so dissatisfied and unre- 
sponsive as poor food badly served. In most of the institutions 
the menus mean nothing, being kept chiefly for reports, visitors, 
committees and irritation of inmates. In the State institutions 
the inmates who are obliged to work are provided with a 
reasonable amount of decent food, but for the others there is 
no variety and hence much waste. In county jails with few 
exceptions the food served is wretched. There is little variety 
and much consequent waste. 

The above are a few of the defects in our present system as 
seen by the Committee, which could easily be remedied under 
a unified control. The following are some of the advantages 



30 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. (Jan. 

now existing in State penal institutions which, in the opinion 
of the Committee, could with very little expense be extended 
to the inmates of county houses of correction: — 

Productive Industries. 

One of the prime factors in reformation is to teach a man a 
trade which can be practiced outside. The industries in our 
State institutions represent a very large investment and are 
up-to-date in equipment, and aim to reproduce in the institu- 
tion the same kind of industry as exists outside. 

Educational Facilities. 

An elementary school and graded classes at the State Prison, 
in addition to shop work, and an organized school taking up to 
about the eighth grade in the Massachusetts Reformatory, in 
addition to day work. 

Physical Exercise. 

Outdoor and indoor exercise requires the expenditure of 
money for guards and instructors which can be done with large 
numbers and is not done in the smaller institutions. 

Psychiatric Examinations. 

Before being in a position to deal with an inmate according 
to his individual needs we must know his mental capacity and 
characterial possibilities. This can be done only with a first- 
class psychiatrist. This is now carried on in the State institu- 
tions. 

Full-time Chaplain. 

In our State institutions the chaplain is on duty from day to 
day, not only preaching on Sunday, but constantly in attend- 
ance at the institution. Such a policy cannot be afforded by 
the county institutions. 

Home Department. 

The Department of Correction maintains a department for 
the relief of prisoner's families, which attempts to connect the 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 31 

many problems arising from the sudden incarceration of the 
breadwinner with the proper relief agencies. This department 
attended to 223 cases during the last year. 

Preparation of Case Histories. 
Previous to action by the Parole Board or by this department 
in the case of any inmate, a complete history of each inmate, 
including family, school and industrial history, mental and 
physical characteristics, etc., is prepared, with a view to fur- 
nishing an intelligent basis for all action, either by the depart- 
ment or by the Board of Parole or by the institution. This, 
under the county system of parole, is not and cannot be thor- 
oughly done. 

After-care of Paroled Prisoners. 

Parole without after-care is worse than useless. No after- 
care exists in county institutions. Five male and two female 
agents give their entire time to the supervision of men and 
women on parole from State institutions, receiving reports, 
visiting them, and attempting to adjust them in the com- 
munity, to prevent a return to prison. 

The Commission of Probation in 1917 in its report stated, 
among other things — 

Applying the general, and what we believe to be the correct, concep- 
tion of the purpose of parole to the existing situation as to the county 
institutions in Massachusetts, we find need of improvement. There is 
no approach to uniformity in the practice in the various counties. While 
the laws as to county parole have been left unchanged, or have been 
altered inconsistently with any general policy, those as to state parole 
have advanced to a definite responsible system. Not the slightest pro- 
vision is made by law for the supervision of prisoners paroled from the 
county institutions. 

Aid to Discharged Prisoners. 
Approximately $10,000 a year is expended through this de- 
partment for this purpose. This aid is given only after careful 
investigation, and a complete record thereof is kept in the 
department. The only provision of law authorizing aid to 
discharged county prisoners is the section authorizing the 
sheriff to give $5 to each discharged man. This is very little 
availed of. 



32 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

Health and Reconstruction Work in the Institutions. 

The venereal disease problem is given a prominent part in 
the work in our State institutions. No person is discharged if 
in a contagious condition. Every person needing treatment is 
required to take such treatment as a term of his parole. At- 
tempt is also made to reach the home problem presented by 
the inmate with venereal disease, in co-operation with the State 
Department of Health. 

Actual health reconstruction w T ork is continually practiced, 
such as the purchase of artificial limbs, removal of growths 
and general physical rehabilitation. 

Lack of uniformity in the county institutions seemed to be 
apparent to the Committee upon visiting the various institu- 
tions. To the members it was evident that each county oper- 
ated its machinery independently of every other county in the 
Commonwealth, without making any effort to determine 
whether any improvements were possible. The commissioners 
and sheriff in each county, as far as the Committee could as- 
certain, managed the jail and house of correction according to 
their own ideas. Similar conditions characterize the manage- 
ment of practically all other county institutions, including the 
tubercular sanatoria, the training and the agricultural schools. 

Very few of the county institutions, with the possible ex- 
ception of the tubercular sanatoria, are managed by officials 
qualified through education, training and experience for the 
task assigned them. Friendship rather than qualification 
figures prominently in the appointment of officials and sub- 
ordinates in many of the county institutions. One glaring ex- 
ample of this nature exists in a county training school, where 
the superintendent's only institutional training was acquired 
through a few years' employment as keeper of a country alms- 
house. Why he was ever selected to educate and return to 
society each year many wayward youths sent to his school by 
the courts is something which has never been quite clear to 
the Committee. In justice to the present county commis- 
sioners in that part of the State it must be said that the 
superintendent's appointment antedated the present Board of 
Commissioners. 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 33 

Almost everywhere in institutions conducted by the counties 
the dominating influence of the county commissioners was very 
apparent to the members of the Committee. In many in- 
stances this seemed to be a great detriment, especially for those 
institutions being conducted for the education and training of 
boys or girls, or both. None of the county commissioners, as 
far as the Committee could discern, rank as educational ex- 
perts, yet, directly or indirectly, they are responsible for the 
entire teaching staff in every training and agricultural school 
under county management. 

The point has been made that the State Department has 
refused to co-operate with the county officials. Our investiga- 
tion of this stituation convinces us that nothing could be far- 
ther from the truth. The Commissioner of Correction has ex- 
hibited to us a great deal of correspondence, which evinces 
every disposition on his part to co-operate in improving the 
character of the county institutions. 

We understand that all the county prison officers have been 
invited to attend, free of expense, the lecture course furnished 
at the expense of the State Department. Very few of the 
county officers have availed themselves of this invitation. 

It has been the custom of the department, after making its 
semi-annual inspection of a county institution, to write a letter 
to the sheriff, and in some instances to the county commis- 
sioners, calling attention to such things as seem to need remedy- 
ing. We have been shown five such letters to various county 
officials which have not even been acknowledged, and in most 
cases the evils to which the attention of the county officials 
was called have not been remedied. 

Although the statute provides that the Commissioner of Cor- 
rection shall make rules for the governing of county institutions 
all sheriffs and masters were invited to the State House to dis- 
cuss the proposed new rules, and were later sent copies of the 
rules and their opinion asked as to the same. 

It has been the common practice of the Department of Cor- 
rection to accede to the requests of those in charge of county 
houses of correction to make transfers for the convenience of 
their institutions. 

The Commissioner of Correction has sought the co-operation 



34 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

of the Department of Education in vocational training and in 
an attempt to establish productive industries in the county in- 
stitutions. He has had three interviews with the sheriff of 
Hampden County and two with the county commissioners of 
Worcester County, in an attempt to substitute, for the present 
unproductive and uninstructive industries, some form of pro- 
ductive industry that will combine the elements of vocational 
training. The.-e attempts at co-operation have not been ac- 
quiesced in by the county officials. 

In several instance- specific suggestions have been made for 
the improvement of the physical plant of the county institution 
by the Commissioner of Correction and his deputies, and in 
some cases these suggestions have been adopted. 

It had heretofore been the custom to transfer inmates from 
the houses of correction to State institutions without consulting 
the wishes of those in charge. The present administration has 
adopted the policy of notifying the district attorney and the 
probation officer of each case suggested for transfer, and of 
consulting the sheriff in charge of the institution, before such 
transfers are made. This attempt at co-operation has as a 
matter of fact curtailed the statutory power of the Commis- 
sioner of Correction in making transfers, but has been carried 
out in an effort to meet the county officials in a co-operative 
spirit. 

It is -till the practice of this department, as in the past, to 
remove from county institutions tuberculous prisoners, insane 
convicts, those needing treatment for venereal disea-e. and, in 
many instance^, those who have proved a disciplinary problem 
e countv officer, and provide for their care and treatment 
at State expeme. 

We are frankly of opinion that if the charge of lack of co- 
operation is to be made against one side or the other in this 
controver-y, it might with more justice be laid against the 
county organizations than against the State Department of 
Correction. 

At the first public meeting which was held at Worcester it 
was found that the counties had pooled their interests and had 
hired a lawyer, George Fred Williams, Esq., to represent them. 
Mr. Williams stated that he represented twelve of the four- 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 35 

teen counties. The principal issue raised at the hearing was 
the question of State control of penal institutions, and no per- 
son appeared in favor. 

The opposition was almost exclusively from county officials 
and those representing them. Among those present address- 
ing the committee were Ernest H. Vaughan, president of 
Worcester Bar Association, District Attorney Edward T. Estey, 
Ex-Mayor Rufus P. Dodge, Sheriff A. F. Richardson, City 
Solicitor John W. Mowbrey of Worcester, representing mayor 
and city government, Ex-Mayor James Logan of Worcester, 
Charles T. Flynn, city solicitor of Fitchburg, and Probation 
Officer James J. Early. 

The substance of the opposition appeared to be a strong re- 
sentment against further encroachment on the part of the State 
to take from the counties any of the control which they now 
exercise over their local institution, arguing, in the light of the 
recent examples of Federal inefficiency and central control, that 
the counties had demonstrated their ability to properly main- 
tain self-government. 

The next public hearing was held in the Springfield city hall 
on Saturday, February 12, 1921. The attendance at this hear- 
ing was large and showed the widespread interest on the part 
of public officials in the four western counties. A brilliant 
array of legal talent appeared in opposition to State control. 
Besides Attorney George Fred Williams, who appeared as coun- 
sel for the counties, there were Attorney Henry W. Ely, counsel 
for the Hampden county commissioners, Wm. G. McKechnie, 
Esq., for Hampden county officers, District Attorney Charles 
H. Wright of Pittsfield, District Attorney Thomas J. Ham- 
mond, Frederick L. Greene, Esq., town solicitor for Greenfield, 
Sheriff E. P. Clark, and several of the county commissioners 
from the four counties. 

This hearing was opened by Commissioner of Correction 
Sanford Bates, who pointed out that the argument for State 
control is divided into two main divisions: first, financial; 
second, the welfare of the prisoners. 

He submitted tables to the Committee which showed that 
the gross expenses for maintaining county institutions for the 
year ending September 30, 1920, were $967,831.91; that the net 



36 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

per capita cost of maintaining each individual in the county 
prisons is $819.57; and that the net per capita of each in- 
dividual in the State penal institutions is $396.98, and possibly 
the high county cost was due to the small population of the 
county jails at the present time. 

In addition to the high cost of these institutions it appeared 
from this table that only 147 inmates of county institutions, out 
of a total population of 1,088, were engaged in industries. 

All in all, it is safe to say that the present system of diver- 
sified control of our county institutions has cost the State in 
all a total of between four and five hundred thousand dollars 
yearly, — more than it would cost under a centrally controlled 
system. 

Under the second heading of "Welfare of Prisoners" he laid 
great emphasis upon the need of employment of the inmates of 
county institutions according to more up-to-date and approved 
penalogical methods, as there would be a great advantage in 
the opportunity to classify offenders according to their needs, 
which would be the case if there was established an institution 
for first offenders, another for the mentally subnormal or 
feeble-minded, etc., and still another for use as an industrial 
institution primarily, where the teaching of trades would be the 
great object. One advantage of consolidation would be the 
establishment of industries in which substantial numbers of 
men could be taught to labor at very little additional expense. 

The principal argument of the opposition was made by Wil- 
liam G. McKechnie, Esq., attorney for county officials. He 
contended that the figures submitted by the Department of 
Correction relating to per capita cost of supporting prisoners 
were incorrect and misleading, and that it was impossible to 
arrive at a just and equitable comparison of costs between the 
two systems in the manner they have employed; that, as a 
result of a study made of eleven county jails for the year end- 
ing September 30, 1920, it was found that they cared for a 
daily average of 230 prisoners who could not be made pro- 
ductive under any system, whether State or county, and the 
cost to these prisons for supporting these non-productive pris- 
oners was $187,911.82, or an aggregate of 30 per cent of the 
cost of supporting all of the prisoners in these institutions. 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 37 

He laid particular emphasis upon the fact that under a cen- 
tralized system of government with which the people are not in 
intimate contact the demands of the departments for increased 
appropriations become almost unlimited; that all things being 
equal, the county can do this work as cheaply as the State. 

In answer to the second argument, that State control would 
result in greater possibilities of classification and more health- 
ful and scientific treatment, he argued that the State has had 
the power for many years but has failed to use it; that the 
State had failed to classify prisoners in its own prisons, a 
noted example of which is the Massachusetts Reformatory. 

I earnestly recommend, therefore, that this Committee study the power 
of the Commissioner of Correction as already given by the statutes of 
the Commonwealth, and investigate to the fullest extent why these 
powers have not been put in fullest operation, and why evil should be 
allowed to accumulate and charged to the county institutions, which 
could have been eradicated by the Commissioner of Correction. 

Public hearings were held at the State House in Boston on 
February 25, March 11, 18, 25 and 29, 1921. The hearings 
were held in the auditorium, which were well attended on all 
occasions, and several of the meetings were held into the evening. 

Here for the first time there appeared in substantial numbers 
those who favored the taking by the State of the county penal 
institutions. Among those present addressing the Committee 
in favor were representatives from the Massachusetts Civic 
League, Massachusetts Prison Association, Massachusetts Fed- 
eration of Women's Clubs, Massachusetts League of Women's 
Clubs, Massachusetts Federation of Churches, Greater Boston 
Federation of Churches, Boston League of Women Voters and 
numerous other organizations. 

Through letter the American Prison Congress went on record 
in favor of centralized control, as did John Koren, United States 
member of the International Commission on Corrections. The 
mayor of Boston favored State control, being represented by 
the city's law department, the finance commission and the 
penal institutions commissioner. 

The opposition was also well represented and included many 
county and town officials, as well as representatives from several 
of the bar associations of the State. George Fred Williams, 



38 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

Esq., counsel for the counties, conducted their side of the hear- 
ing, and made the closing argument. Mr. Williams' address 
was a carefully prepared, exhaustive and able presentation of 
the case against State control. It has been published in 
pamphlet form and given a wide distribution. 

As previously pointed out, the subject-matter of the Com- 
mittee's study was not new, but rather was one over which 
there has been more controversy than any other which has 
ever been before the Legislature. The growth of the probation 
system, the more general use of the power to parole, and pro- 
hibition having decimated the populations of both our county 
and state penal institutions has merely accentuated the con- 
troversy and made it imperative that some action in the in- 
terest of the taxpayer as well as the misdemeanant be taken. 

Great Britain solved this problem in 1877. Three acts were 
passed for the three kingdoms. Every local prison — i.e., jail 
for the confinement of persons not sentenced to penal servitude 
— was transferred from the control of local visiting magistrates 
to a central administrative authority. The expenses are paid 
out of central funds. A good many jails have been found 
superfluous and have been closed. In thirty-five years the 
number of such prisons in England was reduced from 113 to 
56, and their population fell from 21,000 to 15,000. 

No American State, so far as we have been able to learn, 
has complete State control of county jails, but numbers have 
provided for State supervision. There have been established 
better ways of handling misdemeanants than the county-jail 
system now operating in our Commonwealth. The present offi- 
cials of our county institutions are competent to make many 
changes for the better if their efforts can be guided and di- 
rected by some central authority. Hence the Committee, after 
many months' investigation and careful study, recommends 
that there be established in the Department of Correction a 
Commission of Correction which shall have general super- 
vision of the State and county penal institutions. Upon the 
organization of the proposed commission the Commonwealth 
shall assume the cost of maintenance of said institutions, and 
the Commission shall be further empowered with authority to 
remove, close, discontinue or reopen any institution under its 
jurisdiction. 



1922. 



SENATE — No. 280. 



39 



STATE PENAL INSTITUTIONS. 
Charlestown State Prison. 





Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


549 


- 


549 


Population January 1, 1921 




484 


- 


484 


Population January 1, 1919 




528 


- 


528 


Population January 1, 1911 




876 


- 


876 


Serving sentence to-day . 




510 


- 


510 


Number of inmates employed 




501 


- 


501 


Capacity of institution . 




800 


- 


800 



There are 69 officers employed at the institution. 

The Charlestown State Prison is regarded by many as one of 
the worst prisons for the incarceration of felons in the United 
States. The larger part of the prison was built in 1805, and 
from the standpoint of physical equipment, ventilation, op- 
portunities for exercise in the open air, and sanitary facilities 
it is completely out of date. This matter has been brought to 
the attention of the Legislature almost annually, but nothing 
has ever been done to remedy the matter. Authorities are 
unanimous in the belief that the present site, which covers 
406,725 square feet, cannot be made suitable for prison pur- 
poses. Any outlay of money for improvements would be 
wasted, and only the removal of the prison to a site sufficiently 
large to meet the requirements for years to come seems ad- 
visable. The real estate experts have valued the property at 
upwards of $1,000,000, and the State would be assured of al- 
most sufficient funds for the erection of a modern prison plant 
from the proceeds of the sale of the prison site. 

The industrial shops at the prison are also inadequate. The 
profits from industries at the prison for the past year amounted 
to $134,637.77, or $268.74 per capita. With enlarged facilities 
and better working conditions, those in charge contend that 
the profits from industries could be considerably increased. 
The annual cost of maintenance of the prisoners is $599.05 per 
capita. 



40 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

Suffolk County's population at the prison at the time of the 
visit of the Committee numbered 160, with Middlesex County 
second, numbering 114. The numbers from the other counties 
were as follows: Worcester, 58; Essex, 46; Bristol, 35; Hamp- 
den, 34; Norfolk, 15; Plymouth, 14; Hampshire, 13; Berk- 
shire, 11; Franklin, 6; Barnstable, 4. 

Out of 510 prisoners 501 are employed in the various indus- 
tries conducted, which include the manufacture of brushes, 
clothing, mattresses, metal plate, metal ware, underwear and 
shoes. The most profitable is the metal plate industry, where 
the motor-vehicle number plates are manufactured for the 
State Department of Public Works. 

School facilities are maintained for illiterates, and the average 
evening attendance is about 100. Many foreigners who have 
had little chance to obtain an education are benefited through 
this department. There is also a graded school in which 
prisoners may study arithmetic, civil government, commercial 
law, English, Spanish and shorthand. 

Religious services are conducted by a Catholic priest and 
one Protestant minister, who give their full time to work in 
the institution. They supervise the editing of the State Prison 
paper, "The Mentor," and preside in the library where they 
are assisted by three prisoners. There are 13,127 volumes in 
the library, and the average is about 367 calls for books each 
month. Each man is allowed three books weekly, and about 
90 per cent of the men avail themselves of the privilege. Re- 
ligious services are also conducted from time to time by various 
representatives of the Protestant faith, Christian Scientists and 
Jewish Rabbis. 

A program of entertainment is provided at least once each 
week, this including lectures, concerts and moving pictures. 

Recreation and outdoor exercise is permitted one hour on 
Sunday, one and one-half hours on Saturday, and one-half hour 
other days. Military drill and calisthenics take up the time, 
two companies having been organized under the leadership of 
a former YD captain. 

Smoking is permitted in the cells from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. 
Lights are extinguished each evening at 9 o'clock. 

Visiting hours daily are from 8.30 to 11 a.m. and 1.30 to 3.30 p.m. 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 41 

Food is served to the prisoners from a kitchen located on 
the opposite side of the yard from some of the prison quarters. 
Prisoners carry the food into their cells. This arrangement is 
very unsatisfactory. If the institution is to be continued in 
its present location, for even a brief period, immediate steps 
should be taken to bring about the abandonment of this sys- 
tem of food distribution by the establishment of a central dining 
room. The food cost per capita at the present time is fixed 
at $135.36 annually. 

In conclusion the Committee wishes to say that no human 
being is bad enough to deserve confinement in such a place or 
dangerous enough to need it. Many of the conditions which 
continue to put the brand of the prison on the inmates are 
undoubtedly due to the survival of the Bastile type of prison 
architecture which is so well exemplified by the State Prison at 
Charlestown. No reforming influence, however humane and 
generous, would long survive in the atmosphere of such a place. 

It should be said that the management at the prison or the 
Department of Correction is in no way responsible for the lack 
of adequate facilities. For years the recommendation has been 
made by them to the Legislature that a new prison was a vital 
need, but lack of money or a diversity of opinion as to the 
proper location of the new institution has delayed the Legis- 
lature in granting the authority, and also prevented the ap- 
propriation of money for needed improvements on the old 
structure. 

Hence the Committee is a unit in recommending that the 
present prison site be immediately abandoned and that a 
modern prison be erected on a more suitable site. 

Massachusetts Reformatory. 



Males. 



Population March 14, 1921 
Population January 1, 1921 
Population January 1, 1919 
Population January 1, 1911 
Serving sentences March 14 
Number of inmates employed 
Capacity of institution 



513 
388 
406 
S30 
444 
443 
950 



42 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

Staff. — The institution staff includes the superintendent, 1 
deputy superintendent, 1 chief clerk, 1 physician, 1 chief en- 
gineer, 3 chaplains, 64 correction officers, 10 educational in- 
structors and teachers in the evening schools, 10 engineers, 
firemen, mechanics and clerks, — a total maintenance force of 
110. Besides the above there are employed in the textile and 
furniture industries, and paid from the profits of these indus- 
tries, 23 instructors. 

The Massachusetts Reformatory at Concord for younger male 
adult offenders is an institution which is being conducted as a 
place of reformation. It is meeting all the requirements for 
which it was intended, except for a proper segregation of the 
various types of prisoners within its walls. There is a lack of 
facilities for classification and individual treatment, but a start 
has been made under the present administration, but the 
progress of necessity has been slow. 

There is room at the reformatory for twice the number of 
prisoners housed there at the present time. The tendency on 
the part of the courts to send prisoners to county houses of 
correction for offences for which they should be sent to the 
reformatory is responsible for the small population at the Con- 
cord institution. It is common knowledge that county officials 
suggest to the courts the advisability of sending men to the 
county houses of correction when the population is decreasing, 
realizing full well that unless the county institutions are fairly 
well filled there is no justification for their existence. 

No county house of correction is equipped anywhere near as 
well as the Concord Reformatory for teaching the prisoner some 
worth-while trade or occupation which will be beneficial to him 
when he goes out into the world after the expiration of his 
sentence. The machine, shoemaking, woodworking and textile 
industries are operated under the same care and supervision 
that characterize private establishments. These, however, con- 
stitute only a few of the industries. Farming is one of the most 
important occupations. 

All in all, the Concord Reformatory is one of the best equipped 
institutions of its kind in the country. Its hospital facilities, 
with accommodations for 50 patients, compare very favorably 
with the best of this type of institutions in the United States. 



1922. 



SENATE — No. 280. 



43 



When the Committee visited the reformatory there were 
some 444 prisoners. »A11, except three United States transfers, 
were from eleven of the fourteen counties in Massachusetts. 
Suffolk County furnished 144 of that number; Middlesex, 116; 
Essex, 52; Hampden, 42; Bristol, 32; Worcester, 21; Hamp- 
shire and Norfolk, 10 each; Barnstable, 6; and Berkshire and 
Franklin, 4 each. 

The reformatory enjoys the distinction of having one of the 
best corps of educational instructors in any penal institution 
in the country. The evening school is as much a part of the 
reformatory as is any of the occupational activities. The in- 
structors are primarily teachers. The classes are graded along 
the same lines as the grammar or elementary schools, and the 
same courses of instruction are given all prisoners unless they 
have an education equivalent to that given in a grammar 
school. 

The annual per capita cost for the maintenance of the 
institution is $713.21, with a food per capita cost of $54.75. 
The food cost is kept down materially through the produce 
raised on the 175 acres under cultivation out of the 300 acres 
owned by the institution. 

The profits for the past fiscal year from all industries totaled 
>,251.79, representing a per capita profit of $150.15. 



Reformatory foe Women, Sherborn. 





Females. 


Total. 


Population 




191 


191 


Population January 1, 1921 




158 


158 


Population January 1, 1919 




388 


388 


Population January 1, 1911 




214i 


214 


Number of inmates employed . 




148 


148 






330 




Hospital beds 


. 60 






Disciplinary departments 


. 17 






- Condemned cells, Grade III . 


. 45 


122 


452 



1 Includes 6 at State Infirmary; 12 on indenture. 



44 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

Staff. — There is a total of 79 names on the pay roll of the 
reformatory, divided as follows: administration group, 8; en- 
gineers, 8; research department, 4; medical department, 7, as 
follows: physician, dentist, aurist, two day nurses, one night 
nurse, one nurse for babies; night inspectors: female (inside), 
3; male (outside), 2; repair department, 5; farm department, 
15; industries, 7; correction officers, 19; storekeeper, 1. The 
pay roll for the month of March was $6,569.49, and the indus- 
trial pay roll, $851.66. 

The Reformatory for Women at Sherborn is an antiquated 
structure, lacking many of the essentials for the proper care 
and treatment of prisoners. The physical condition of the 
prison building is such that it is a question whether it would 
not be more economical for the Commonwealth to provide an 
entire new structure than to spend large sums annually for the 
many needed improvements. There is, however, a new matron's 
building, and also a new hospital building, finely equipped. 
The property covers some 333 acres. 

The population of the reformatory is only about one-half 
the number that could be comfortably housed there. At the 
present time there are only about 166 prisoners, but this has 
been the average number for many months. All the women 
detained at the various houses of correction could be placed 
in this institution without inconvenience other than that of 
transporting them from their present places of abode. 

Such a transfer ought to appeal to the keeper of every house 
of correction or jail in the Commonwealth in which women are 
serving sentence, because the Sherborn Reformatory staff of 
penologists are in a much better position to handle women than 
are the wives of jailers who act as matrons, knowing nothing 
and caring less for the unfortunates over whom they are sup- 
posed to have supervision. 

Upon being committed to the Sherborn Reformatory, every 
woman's case is personally investigated by the officers of the 
institution. This is followed by the charting of the history of 
each inmate socially, industrially, physically and psychologically, 
for the purpose of providing the best treatment possible for the 
individual cases. In the county houses of correction such 
studies of women prisoners are unheard of. It is true that the 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 45 

county institutions lack the facilities, but it is also true that 
little or no attention is paid women prisoners except for the 
work which the county institutions get out of them during 
their terms of sentence. 

Everything in the way of humane treatment for the prisoners 
is provided at the Sherborn Reformatory. There are hospital 
facilities for 60 patients. For the tubercular or dangerously 
anemic women there is an open-air pavilion. In addition to a 
visiting physician and surgeon there are also eye, ear, nose and 
throat specialists and a dentist at least once a week at the 
institution. There are some 30 babies born annually at the 
Sherborn Reformatory. Fifteen women are allowed limited 
parole, going out to work daily and returning at night. 

For those prisoners able to work, the principal occupations 
are needle industries. These needle industries include from 
forty to fifty types of garments. In the stocking shop women 
operate six knitting machines each, turning out an aggregate 
of 1,000 dozen pairs of stockings each month. All the State 
and Federal flags used by the Commonwealth, including ex- 
pensive silk flags with hand-painted emblems, are the work of 
prisoners. The net profits from industries at Sherborn were 
$18,955.19 last year, making a per capita profit of $379.10. 

The cost of maintenance for the past year was $957.57 per 
capita. The high per capita cost was due, the superintendent 
explains, to the fact that large expenditures were made for 
improvements which had been deferred for years. The food 
cost per capita was given at $77.11 per inmate, which amounted 
approximately to $1.48 per week, or 21 cents a day. 

Women committed by the Massachusetts courts to Sherborn 
Reformatory are ordinarily sent for indeterminate sentences, 
although some are lifers and others for five or more years. 

Although the principal industry is needle work, the stronger 
women work on the farm when the weather permits. 

The county of Suffolk sends the largest quota of any county 
to the reformatory. From Suffolk County there are 48 women. 
The population from the other counties follows: — 



46 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



Middlesex and Essex (each) . 25 

Hampden 18 

Bristol 17 

Plymouth 15 

Berkshire 3 



Norfolk 11 

Hampshire 11 

Worcester 9 

Franklin 2 



Religious services are provided Sunday mornings by a Catho- 
lic priest, and every other Sunday afternoon by a Protestant 
minister. 

Bridgewater State Farm. 



Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


1,342 


43 


1,385 


Population January 1, 1921 






1,363 


48 


1,411 


Population January 1. 1919 






1,598 


74 


1,672 


Population January 1, 1911 






2,470 


171 


2,641 


Serving sentences 






420 


48 


468 


Number of inmates employed 






628 


43 


671 


Xumber awaiting trial 






- 


- 


- 



Staff. — The staff comprises 25 officers, 75 attendants and 45 
employees, — a total of 145. The monthly pay roll totals 
811,247.65. 

An institution to which the Commonwealth may point with 
considerable satisfaction is the State Farm at Bridgewater, 
which is easily one of the best managed divisions of the State 
Department of Correction, and one which penologists from all 
over the country agree is functioning for the specific purpose for 
which the farm was established. Within the walls are three 
distinct types, — criminal prisoners, criminal insane and adult 
poor. The population for this year has been the smallest in 
years, and for that reason there are accommodations for prac- 
tically twice the number confined there at the present time. 
The total capacity of the Bridgewater State Farm for all male 
classes is 2,800. The women's prison has facilities for 200, or 
about four times the number committed. 

Because of the character of the institution, the provisions 
for segregation and conditions generally, the Bridgewater State 
Farm could readily care for a large influx from either State or 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 47 

county institutions. With the exception of the almshouse and 
women's prison buildings, the prison and asylum departments 
of the institution are in groups. Many of the buildings in each 
department are connected by corridors, while others open from 
one building to another, forming more or less a continuous 
structure. In the prison department, when the Committee 
visited the State Farm, there were 290 serving sentences. In 
the almshouse were 250 adults, and in the insane wards there 
were 845 inmates. Out of this entire number, some 671 are 
employed in some capacity or other on the farm or in the build- 
ings. The number employed includes 265 prisoners and 406 
of the insane inmates. Those who are not employed are either 
physically or mentally unfit for any kind of work. Laundry 
work forms the principal employment for women prisoners. 
The farm, covering some 1,477)^2 acres, of which 856 acres are 
under cultivation, furnishes ample opportunity for labor by 
the male population able to work. Because of the systematic 
manner in which the farm is handled, the annual per capita 
cost for maintenance was kept down to 1320.82 for the past 
year. Of this amount the per capita cost for food amounted 
to $76.78. This figure is exclusive of the cost of the products 
raised on the farm. 

When the Committee visited the farm the population by 
counties was: Suffolk, 80; Worcester, 70; Bristol, 39; Mid- 
dlesex, 30; Plymouth, 25; Essex, 14; Norfolk, 11; Hampden, 
9; and Hampshire and Barnstable, 2 each. 

Weekly services for the Catholic, Protestant and Hebrew 
inmates are provided by chaplains of their respective denomi- 
nations. 

The Bridgewater institution has demonstrated that the most 
profitable industry in which prison labor can be used is farming, 
and the products of this great farm reduced the per capita cost 
to about one-half that of any penal institution maintained by 
the Commonwealth, and about one-third of that of the county 
institutions. Not only that, but it provides for outdoor recre- 
ation, exercise and work so essential to the health and morale 
of the inmate bodv. 



48 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



West Rutland Prison Camp and Hospital. 



Camp population .... 
Hospital population .... 
Camp population January 1, 1921 
Hospital population January 1, 1921 
Camp population January 1, 1919 
Hospital population January 1, 1919 
Camp population January 1, 1911 
Hospital population January 1, 1911 
Number of camp inmates employed 
Number of hospital inmates employed 
Capacity of camp .... 
Capacity of hospital .... 




Total. 



110 



122 



67 2 



180 



1 Includes 49 in main camp, 17 at Tewksbury and 15 at Medfield. 

2 Light work in ward two hours daily. 

Staff. — Besides the superintendent there is 1 deputy super- 
intendent, 1 physician, 1 clerk, 18 officers and 1 temporary offi- 
cer, — a total of 24. 

The Prison Camp at Rutland constitutes a group of 26 build- 
ings on a farm of 983 acres, of which 93 acres are under culti- 
vation. The group includes, among other buildings, a tuber- 
cular camp, where 33 of the 78 prisoners, transferred there from 
State and county penal institutions, are under treatment for 
tuberculosis in some form or other. 

The able-bodied prisoners are those sent to the camp to be 
built up physically after serving a greater part of their com- 
mitment sentences in other institutions. The tubercular pa- 
tients are those recommended for isolation, and are received 
from both the State and county penal institutions. 

In addition to giving those prisoners nearing the expiration 
of their sentences an opportunity to build up physically, the 
Department of Correction is reclaiming property which is grow- 
ing in area every year. Out of the 78 prisoners at the Prison 
Camp, 13 were transferred from the Charlestown State Prison 
and 2 from the Massachusetts Reformatory at Concord. The 
prisoners from the houses of correction included 12 from Worces- 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 49 

ter and 6 each from Middlesex, Hampden and Suffolk. In the 
tubercular hospital there were 8 from the State Prison, 7 from 
the State Farm at Bridgewater, 4 from the Massachusetts Re- 
formatory at Concord, 4 from Suffolk, 3 each from the Worces- 
ter and Hampden, 2 from the Middlesex, and 1 from the Bristol 
houses of correction. 

The staff at Rutland, including the superintendent and 
tubercular camp physician, numbers 24. The annual per 
capita cost for maintenance for the entire camp is $941.10, of 
which $196.52 constitutes the annual per capita cost for food. 

Poultry raising, dairying and general farming, as well as 
land development, constitute the work of the prisoners in the 
camp proper. The average number of working prisoners last 
year was 46. The net profits from all activities were $11,238.56, 
making the per capita profit $244.32. 

For the patients in the tubercular camp there is a special 
diet, designated by the physician in charge. These inmates are 
not allowed to mingle with the other prisoners, being isolated 
in their own camp, a short distance away from the prisoners' 
quarters in the main camp. 

Religious services are held regularly in the chapel for the 
Protestant, Catholic and Hebrew prisoners. 

The larger part of the acreage connected with this institu- 
tion is not adapted for the purposes of agriculture, and can 
only be reclaimed at a tremendous cost, or wastage of labor. 
On account of the decreased population of the other criminal 
institutions of the Commonwealth, the labor now being used 
at the Rutland Camp is greatly needed at these institutions. 
The per capita cost of maintaining this institution is by far the 
highest among the State institutions, and in the interest of 
economy it would seem wise for the State to discontinue the 
use of this institution as a prison camp and hospital. 



50 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



Medfield Prison Camp. 



Males. 



Population 

Population January 1, 1921 

Population January 1, 1919 

Population January 1, 1911 1 

Serving sentences 

Number of inmates employed 

Number awaiting trial 

Capacity of institution 

1 Not in existence. 



Staff. — The camp staff consists of 2 officers and 1 spare 
man who works half time. The total monthly pay roll is 
$266.66. 

The Department of Correction maintains a prison camp on 
property of the Medfield State Hospital, which is known as the 
Medfield Prison Camp, where 18 men transferred from houses 
of correction are engaged in the building of filter beds for the 
State hospital. Eight of the men are from the Suffolk County 
House of Correction, 7 from Middlesex, 2 from Essex and 1 
from Norfolk. Two officers are assigned by the Commissioner 
of Correction as guards, and they have the assistance of one 
spare man who works half time. 

Under the law prison camps cannot be maintained unless 
self-supporting. The department is reimbursed for the pris- 
oner's work at the rate of $1 a day per man. 

There is also a prison camp at Tewksbury, at which there 
are 17 prisoners employed at work for the State Infirmary. 

The men at this camp were recently transferred from North 
Reading, where a camp had been maintained for the State 
tubercular sanatorium. 



1922.1 



SENATE — No. 280. 



51 



COUNTY HOUSES OF CORRECTION. 
Barnstable County House of Correction 





Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


10 


- 


10 


Population January 1, 1921 .... 


5 


- 


5 


Population January 1, 1919 .... 


7 


- 


7 


Population January I, 1911 .... 


9 


2 


11 


Serving sentences 


9 


- 


9 


Number awaiting trial 


1 


- 


1 


Capacity of institution 


28 


4 


32 



All prisoners in this jail are from Barnstable County. 

Staff. — The jail staff includes 3 officers and the keeper's 
wife, who acts as matron. The monthly pay roll totals $399. 

The Barnstable County House of Correction at Barnstable 
is a structure which outlived its usefulness years ago, and has 
since lacked any tangible reason for its existence as a house of 
correction. It is nothing more than a jail at best. Its anti- 
quated architecture, insanitary conditions and poor ventilation 
should justify its abandonment, to say nothing of the useless- 
ness of such an institution, where there are as many salaried 
officers as there are prisoners. The pay roll shows that the 
county pays three male officers and the matron, who is the 
keeper's wife, $399 monthly and maintenance. 

When the Committee visited the Barnstable Jail and House 
of Correction in April the sheriff was the only official at the 
jail. His two officers were on a moonshine raid, and the 
matron was attending to her household duties, while the four 
prisoners, all from Barnstable County, were working somewhere 
around the yard. 

An inspection of the interior showed conclusively that the 
sheriff did not anticipate the Committee's visit. The jail, 
which has accommodations for 28 male and 4 female prisoners, 
has never been taxed to capacity, as far as the Committee 
could learn. Entrance to the cell rooms is gained only by 
passing through the living and sleeping rooms of the keeper. 



52 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



The cells were filthy and the bedding dirty. Except for the 
cell rooms, there is nothing to indicate that the building is a 
penal institution. Hospital facilities were lacking, because, as 
the keeper put it, there had not been a death at the jail for 
twenty years. Whatever prisoners there are, from time to time, 
are used for kitchen work, tending the heating apparatus or 
doing odds and ends about the jail and court house. Although 
there are 4 acres of farm land, there is no attempt at cultiva- 
tion. 

Berkshire County House of Correction. 





Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


32 


2 


34 


Population January 1, 1921 .... 


20 


2 


22 


Population January 1, 1919 .... 


30 


2 


32 


Population January 1, 1911 


71 


3 


74 


Serving sentences 


21 


- 


21 


Number awaiting trial 


11 


2 


13 


Capacity of institution 


122 


- 


122 



The population by counties follows : — 



Berkshire 

Suffolk 

Worcester 



32 

1 
1 



Staff. — Six officers, 1 matron, 3 firemen and 1 coachman are 
employed at salaries aggregating $1,128.91 monthly to main- 
tain this institution, where 12 male and 3 female prisoners are 
housed; of this number 2 men and 1 woman are awaiting trial. 
The institution has accommodations for 122 prisoners, which is 
several times the number confined there at any one time for 
years. Like several of the other county houses of correction, 
there is nothing to warrant the continued use of the Berkshire 
House of Correction. 

The sheriff's figures show that the disbursements for the past 
year amounted to $28,571.78, of which $24,108.67 was for 
salaries, provisions and fuel and light. The net receipts from 
the only industry at the house of correction, that of heel mak- 



1922. 



SENATE — No. 280. 



53 



ing, was $309.15, which averaged $25.76 per capita for the male 
population for the year, or about 50 cents a week for each man 
employed. 

The institution property covers 11 acres, of which 6 are 
under cultivation. 



Bristol County House of 


Correction. 






Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


166 




14 


180 


Population January 1, 1921 






85 




4 


89 


Population January 1, 1919 






71 




25 


96 


Population January 1, 1911 






258 




31 


289 


Serving sentences 






141 




14 


155 


Number awaiting trial 






25 




- 


25 


Capacity of institution . 






326 




48 


374 



The population by counties follows : — 

Middlesex 1 

Suffolk 2 

Bristol 177 



Staff. — The jail staff comprises 23 persons, including 1 clerk, 
physician, 2 chaplains, organist, 3 engineers, steward, turnkey, 
16 officers, 3 matrons, who receive a total salary of $659.50 
weekly. The master, his wife, who acts as night matron, and 
the organist are paid monthly at the rate of $234.82. The 
physician and two chaplains are paid quarterly at the rate of 
$230 each quarter. 

Maintenance. — The annual cost per capita for maintenance 
totals $981.80, with a food cost per capita of $175.76. 

Bristol County has its jail and house of correction at New 
Bedford, and in addition has a jail at Taunton, where the 
sheriff makes his home and keeps three officers at $30 a week, 
each as a caretaker of the property. Although the Taunton 
Jail was closed February 29, 1920, the sheriff contends that $90 
a week spent in the upkeep makes the property considerably 
more valuable than if the buildings were closed. Through the 



54 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



closing of the jail the county has saved anywhere from $10,000 
to $12,000 annually. 

The Bristol County Jail and House of Correction at New 
Bedford comprise a group of antiquated structures, many of 
which should be abandoned for prison purposes. The sheriff 
believes that the present site is too valuable for the jail and 
house of correction, and contends that the property should be 
sold and a new location acquired. 

All the prisoners serving sentences, 114 men and 5 women, 
were employed, the men making soles and heels, while the 
women did laundry work. From the sole and heel making, the 
only industry at the institution, the net profits for the past year 
amounted to $3,040.97, or $82.78 for each of the men employed 
at that work. 

The Bristol County Jail and House of Correction is one of 
the largest of its kind in the Commonwealth, and is also one 
of the most expensively conducted. The aggregate salaries for 
the staff amount to $37,027.84 annually. It is because of this 
yearly expenditure, and because no farm products are raised at 
this institution, that the annual per capita expenditure for 
maintenance reaches the remarkably high figure of .$981.80. 

Dukes County Jail. 



Males. 



Females. 



Total. 



Population 

Population January 1, 1921 
Population January 1, 1919 
Population January 1, 1911 
Number awaiting trial 



Staff. — The keeper is the only employee at this jail. The 
monthly pay roll totals 125. 

Dukes County maintains a jail at Edgartown for what might 
happen, and allows the keeper $25 a month and a dollar a day 
for maintenance. The twelve cells, six for males and an equal 
number for females, are rarely, if ever, occupied, but whenever 
there are prisoners there they must conform with a code of 



1922.] 



SENATE — No. 280. 



55 



rules that equal in stringency those of any county institution 
in the Commonwealth. 

Visitors are admitted at the discretion of the keeper when- 
ever there are prisoners there. Lights are extinguished at 9 
o'clock, reading matter is provided and smoking is permitted in 
the cells and corridors. The keeper also exercises his own dis- 
cretion regarding recreation hours. 



Essex County House of Corkection — Salem. 





Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


122 


8 


130 


Population January 1, 1921 .... 


86 


4 


90 


Population January 1, 1919 ...... 


64 


6 


70 


Population January 1, 1911 


132 


10 


142 


Serving sentences 


107 


7 


114 


Number awaiting trial 


15 


1 


16 


Capacity of institution : 








Single cells 


97 * 


15 


112 


Double cells 


19 


3 


22 



The population follows: 



Essex . 

Suffolk 

Middlesex 

Hampden 

Norfolk 



112 
9 
1 
1 
1 



State of Maine . . ... 3 

State of New Hampshire . 1 

State of Delaware ... 1 

State of Colorado ... 1 



Staff. - — The jail staff includes 9 officers and 3 matrons. The 
monthly pay roll totaled SI, 545.08. 

Maintenance. — The cost per capita for maintenance during 
the year 1920 was $720, with a food cost per capita during the 
same period of $123.07. 



56 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



Essex County House of Cokrecttox — Lawrence. 



Males. 



Females. 



Total. 



Population 

Population January 1, 1921 
Population January 1, 1919 
Population January 1, 1911 
Serving sentences 
Number awaiting trial . 
Capacity of institution . 



37 
24 
77 

148 

30 

7 

107 



37 
24 
95 

157 

30 

7 

122 



The population follows: — 



Essex County . 
New London, Conn. 



34 

1 



Buffalo, N. Y. 
Woonsocket, R. 



I. 



Staff. — The jail staff comprises, besides the keeper, 4 officers, 
1 spare officer, 1 matron, 1 physician and 2 chaplains. The 
monthly pay roll totaled $890.62. 

Maintenance. — The annual cost per capita for maintenance 
is $966.17, with a food cost per capita of $117.70. 

Essex County conducts two jails and houses of correction, one 
at Salem and the other at Lawrence. In June, 1920, the county 
commissioners closed the jail at Ipswich, and on August 1, 1918, 
closed the jail at Newburyport. Both of these jails are in 
charge of a deputy sheriff, and no plans are underway for the 
sale of either property, regardless of the fact that neither will 
again be placed in use. 

The county correctional institutions at Salem and Lawrence 
have about the same capacity, although the greater number of 
prisoners are at the Salem House of Correction, which is in 
charge of the sheriff. Neither institution maintains any indus- 
try. Prisoners from the Salem House of Correction are sent 
to a prison farm at Hathorne, while those at the Lawrence 
institution raise produce on a small portion of the farm. At 
the latter farm the net profits for the past year amounted to 
$400, which made the yearly per capita profits for those em- 
ployed on the farm $10.72. Anywhere from 30 to 40 prisoners 
are kept at the farm at Hathorne, but for some reason or other 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 57 

no record is kept of the expenditures or receipts, nor of the 
profits accruing from the labor performed by the prisoners. 

In the management of the Salem and Lawrence Houses of 
Correction there is very little difference, the former being con- 
ducted under the personal supervision of the sheriff, while the 
latter is operated by a master appointed by the sheriff. Be- 
cause of the great difference in the number of prisoners there is 
a wide variance in the cost of maintenance. In Salem, where 
the prison population numbered 108 males and 5 females, the 
annual per capita cost for maintenance was $720, while in Law- 
rence, where there were only 43 male and 1 female prisoners the 
per capita cost for maintenance was $966.17. There was little 
difference in the annual food cost for each prisoner. In Salem 
it was $123.07, against $117.76 in Lawrence. The monthly pay 
roll at Salem is $1,545.08, against $890.62 at Lawrence. 

Conditions in both the Salem and Lawrence jails were on a 
par when the Committee visited these institutions. Prisoners 
being held at both places were utilized in keeping the interior 
and exterior of both jails in a cleanly condition. The women 
at the Salem jail work in the laundry. Women are immedi- 
ately transferred after commitment from the Lawrence to the 
Salem jail, except while being held for trial during Superior 
Court sittings at Lawrence. 

The Committee was favorably impressed with conditions 
found at both of these institutions, especially with regard to 
the food served, and the personal attention of the officials to 
the needs of the inmates. If the prison population does not 
increase, it would seem that one of these institutions, preferably 
the one at Lawrence, plus the prison camp at Hathorne, would 
be ample to serve the needs of the county. The Lawrence 
institution is much more favorably located with its 63^ acre plot 
than the one at Salem, covering a small area in the thickly 
settled portion of the city. At Salem there is no yard room, 
hence no opportunity for exercise outdoors. 



58 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



Franklin County House of Correction. 





Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


9 


- 


9 


Population January 1, 1921 .... 


8 


- 


8 


Population January 1, 1919 .... 


13 


- 


13 


Population January 1, 1911 .... 


39 


4 


43 


Serving sentences 


8 


- 


8 


Number awaiting trial 


1 


- 


1 


Capacity of institution 


62 


14 


76 



Staff. — The jail staff includes 5 officers and 1 employee. 
The monthly pay roll totals $643.64. 

Maintenance. — The annual cost per capita for maintenance 
during the year 1920 was $1,395, with a food cost per capita 
of $82.16. 

The Franklin County Jail and House of Correction at Green- 
field has the largest per capita cost for maintenance of any 
county penal institution in the Commonwealth. The keeper's 
figures show that it costs SI, 395 annually for each of the pris- 
oners sent there, regardless of the fact that the food cost per 
capita is at a minimum, amounting to only $82.16 annually. 
The food cost is kept down largely by the amount of produce 
raised on the 40-acre farm under cultivation. 

This jail is frequently selected by Federal prisoners in Massa- 
chusetts, when given their option by the judges imposing sen- 
tence, because of the reputation gained through the kindly 
treatment of those committed. 

The jail and house of correction was built originally with 
accommodations for 62 male and 14 female prisoners. Rarely 
has the institution been more than half filled, and seldom has 
there been a woman prisoner under sentence. 

Out of 10 prisoners serving sentence and 3 awaiting trial 
when the Committee visited Greenfield, 2 of the 10 were com- 
mitted by the Federal court. Three of this number were from 
outside the State, 3 from Suffolk County, 2 from Franklin and 
1 each from Hampshire, Hampden, Berkshire, Worcester and 
[Middlesex counties. The prisoners do all the cooking for the 



1922.1 



SENATE — No. 280. 



59 



jail, take care of the heating plant, work on the farm and cane 
chairs. 

The receipts for the sale of farm products for the past year 
amounted to $2,104.66. The net profits from the only other 
industry, that of cane seating, was $632.38. 



Hampden County House of Correction. 





Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


132 


8 


140 


Population January 1, 1921 


130 


2 


132 


Population January 1, 1919 


129 


8 


137 


Population January 1, 1911 .... 


202 


15 


217 


Serving sentences 


110 


5 


115 


Number awaiting trial 


22 


3 


25 


Capacity of institution: 








Regular cells . . 


- 


- 


256 


Cells for special purposes .... 


- 


- 


12 



Staff. — The staff consists of 10 officers, 3 full-time employees 
and 2 chaplains. The monthly pay roll totals $1,878.23. 

The manufacture of umbrellas constitutes the principal in- 
dustry at the Hampden County Jail and House of Correction 
at Springfield. Some 44 out of 122 prisoners serving sentence 
are engaged in this work, which nets the jail a weekly profit of 
about 52 cents per man. The total profit for the entire num- 
ber employed was $1,191.12 last year, or about $27.08 weekly. 

With the exception of those engaged in covering umbrellas, 
the prisoners serving sentences are either employed in various 
capacities about the jail or work on the 3-acre farm connected 
with the institution. 

A ventilating system, which is furnished with blower fans 
capable of forcing 28,000 cubic feet of air through the jail and 
house of correction each minute, was one of the best features 
of the institution. In the library were 1,200 volumes, for 
which there are no catalogues and no system for the loaning 
or distribution of the books. Neglect upon the part of the 
prisoners to patronize this library was due primarily to the fact 
that the lights are extinguished at 7 o'clock each night, and 



60 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



that it was impossible to read in the dimly lighted corridors 
because of the distance between the fish-tail gas burners and 
the cells. Since the Committee's visit electric lights have been 
installed. 

Proper hospital facilities were lacking, and the Committee 
found prisoners suffering from infectious diseases nursing the sick. 

The food served was by far the worst found in any institu- 
tion, and the menu showed little variety from day to day. The 
food cost for the prisoners figures $124.10 annually per man, 
while the cost of maintenance of the entire institution was 
$450.30 per capita for the past year. 

One hour outdoor exercise in the prison yard is allowed the 
men each Saturday afternoon, if the weather is favorable. 

In no institution visited by the Committee was there so much 
dissatisfaction and discontent manifested by the inmates, due 
to the unnecessarily strict discipline, lack of practically all 
privileges granted inmates of other similar institutions, poor 
food, and an employment intended for women and minors and 
not adult men. 

Out of the 145 prisoners at the jail and house of correction, 
138 were men, of whom 122 were serving sentences, and 7 were 
women, all of whom were serving sentences. Twenty men were 
awaiting trial and 3 were being held as witnesses. 



Hampshire County House of 


Correction. 




Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


20 


- 




20 


Population January 1, 1921 








14 


1 




15 


Population January 1, 1919 








28 


- 




28 


Population January 1, 1911 








55 


3 




58 


Serving sentences . 








16 


- 




16 


Number awaiting trial 








4 


- 




4 


Capacity of institution . 








76 


12 




88 



Following is the population: — 

Hampshire 17 

Hampden 1 

Out of State 2 



1922.1 



SENATE — No. 280. 



61 



Staff. — The institution maintains 5 officers, a chaplain, or- 
ganist and physician, and matron when required. The monthly 
pay roll is $678.83. The matron receives pay only when there 
are female prisoners in the institution. 

Religious services by a representative of one of the local 
Protestant churches are held each Sunday, and Catholic serv- 
ices are held by a priest. 

There is scarcely anything at the Hampshire County Jail and 
House of Correction at Northampton to justify its existence. 
It is one of the smallest institutions of its kind and within 
easy access of Springfield. A consolidation with the Hampden 
County Jail and House of Correction would save the taxpayers 
thousands of dollars annually. 

For maintenance the per capita cost for last year was 
$854.28 for an average of 19 prisoners, while the per capita 
food cost for the same period was $173.33. Less than half the 
prisoners engage in the only industry at the jail, — that of 
cane seating, — while the others work in the kitchen and around 
the building and grounds. 

The jail is an antiquated structure, erected some seventy- 
seven years ago, and lacks practically all the conveniences 
which characterize a modern institution. Because of the small 
number of prisoners held there year in and year out, no at- 
tempts have ever been made to provide a new structure or 
create better conditions. 

Men serving sentences and those awaiting trial are allowed 
to work together in violation of the law. 



Middlesex County House of Corkection. 





Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 

Population January 1, 1921 
Population January 1, 1919 
Population January 1, 1911 
Serving sentences 
Number awaiting trial 
Capacity of institution . 

Small cells . 

Large cells 






319 
26 
18 


196 
174 
164 
274 
162 
34 


13 
10 
25 
25 
12 
1 


209 
184 
189 
299 
174 
35 

363 



Note. — The superintendent's report states that the capacity can be increased to approximately 
400 by placing several prisoners in a few of the large rooms. 



62 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 



The population follows : — 

Suffolk ...... 25 

Essex . . . . . .9 

Bristol 1 

Middlesex 158 



Hampden 2 

Hampshire 1 

Out of State .... 13 



Staff. — The jail staff includes 22 officers, — 4 matrons, 
electricians, machinists, clerk, bookkeeper, physician, 5 en- 
gineers and 4 firemen, — having charge of a large plant, in- 
cluding six boilers of 150 horse power each and three engines, 
furnishing heat and light for the institution and also for all the 
county buildings (court house and registry of deeds) located 
near by. This plant has to be operated twenty-four hours 
365 days in the year. The monthly pay roll of $6,464.51 in- 
cludes the amount paid for services of Protestant and Catholic 
clergymen, Jewish rabbi and chorister. 

Maintenance. — The annual cost per capita for maintenance 
was $637.12 last year, according to the superintendent's report, 
and after deducting $3,908.85 expended for repairs on w r alls of 
the building, the net cost per capita would be $612.23. 

Since the closing of the Lowell Jail, some two years ago, all 
the prisoners awaiting trial or sentenced to the house of cor- 
rection in Middlesex County are sent to the East Cambridge 
institution. Since its closing the Lowell Jail has been in 
charge of a custodian receiving $1,500 a year and rent, and in 
the meantime nothing has been done to keep the main building 
or the barn and other outbuildings in repair. The frost during 
the past winter played havoc with the exterior of the main 
building, while the iron work on the inside has been allowed to 
corrode. 

The main building, with cell room for 72 male and 33 female 
prisoners, is the largest of a group on the 5% acre lot owned by 
the county in Lowell. The Cambridge institution is sufficiently 
large to fill all the needs of Middlesex County for many years 
to come, and the Lowell Jail should either be disposed of or 
turned to other uses at once. 

The Middlesex County Jail and House of Correction at East 
Cambridge is one of the oldest and largest, as well as one of 
the most efficiently managed, county penal institutions in the 



1922.] 



SENATE — No. 280. 



63 



Commonwealth. The principal industry is mat and brush 
making, and employs many of the male prisoners. The 
brushes range in size from the ordinary hand brush to the 
heavy revolving brushes used in street-sweeping machines. 
The net profits from this industry for the past year amounted 
to $8,525.21, or $304.47 for each prisoner employed in the 
manufacture of these articles. The women prisoners do all the 
laundry work for the institution. 

The house of correction operates a heating and lighting plant, 
which furnishes heat and light for the county court house and 
registry of deeds in addition to the institution itself. 

A well-equipped hospital ward with a dispensary and oper- 
ating room has accommodations for twelve prisoners in as many 
cells. In case of an emergency, the hospital accommodations 
mav be doubled. 



Nantucket County House of 


CORRECTION. 




Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 

Population January 1, 1921 . . . . 
Population January 1, 1919 .... 
Population January 1, 1911 
Capacity of institution 


- 


- 


- 



Staff. — Sheriff Johnson's report to the Committee states that 
the jail staff includes but one assistant. The total monthly 
pay roll is given as $8.75. 

The Nantucket Jail and House of Correction, located on the 
Island of Nantucket, thirty miles from the mainland, is rarely 
used for the purposes for which it was built. For considerably 
more than a year there has not been a prisoner there. In June, 
1920, one male prisoner, unable to secure bail, was bound over 
by the district court for the July sitting of the Grand Jury. 
His maintenance cost the county $59. The only other expense 
connected with that jail is a monthly allowance of $8.75, which 
is given the sheriff's assistant for part-time supervision of the 
two buildings held by the county as a jail and house of cor- 
rection. 



64 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



Norfolk County House of Correction. 



Males. 



Females. 



Total. 



Population . 
Population January 1, 1921 
Population January 1, 1919 
Population January 1, 1911 
Serving sentences 
Number of inmates employed 
Number awaiting trial 
Capacity of institution . 



60 

58 
46 
S2 
38 
38 
22 
108 



Staff. — In addition to the sheriff, the staff includes the 
matron, who is the sheriff's wife, 8 officers and guards, 1 chap- 
lain and 1 physician. 

Maintenance cost per capita for the year is $774.85, and the 
food cost per capita, $197.06. 

Conditions at the Norfolk County Jail and House of Cor- 
rection at Dedham amazed the members of the Committee 
upon their visit to that institution. The hospital room piled 
high Avith discarded and broken furniture, the gloomy chapel, 
dingy workshop and squalid cells bore evidence of neglect, while 
the majority of the prisoners were allowed to idle away their 
time from morning until night. The buildings generally are 
antiquated and insanitary, lacking the proper facilities for 
humane and decent treatment of prisoners. 

A careful inspection of the institution and a study of condi- 
tions generally convinced the Committee of the uselessness of 
maintaining a house of correction at Dedham. The only occu- 
pation for the prisoners, except during the farming season, is 
in the workshop, where a cheap grade of heels are made for 
one of the shoe shops in a State institution, and where leather 
discs are prepared for a safety razor factory. During the 
farming season many of the prisoners work on a 110-acre farm 
at Walpole, of which 25 acres are under cultivation. In the 
workshop the profits average less than $2 per week for the men 
employed. 



1922.1 



SENATE — No. 280. 



65 



Of the 6S prisoners at the time of the Committee's visit 37 
were from Norfolk County, 10 from Suffolk, 6 from Plymouth, 
3 from Middlesex, 5 from other counties and 5 had "no homes. " 

No religious services are held at this institution so far as the 
Committee could ascertain. 



Plymouth County Jail and House of Correction. 



Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


86 


2 


88 


Population January 1, 1921 






52 


3 


55 


Population January 1, 1919 






45 


2 


47 


Population January 1, 1911 






113 


5 


118 


Serving sentences . 






75 


- 


75 


Number awaiting trial 






11 


2 


13 


Capacity of institution . 






140 


12 


152 



Staff. — Twelve officers, 1 matron, 1 doctor, 1 organist, 1 
chaplain. Total pay roll, $1,800 monthly. 

Annual cost per capita for maintenance, $931.99. Food cost 
per capita, $147.90. 

One of the best equipped and most modernized institutions of 
its kind in the Commonwealth is the Plymouth County Jail 
and House of Correction. The reinforced concrete building is 
well lighted and ventilated, has hospital facilities of the most 
improved type for a half dozen patients, while the congregate 
dining room has no equal among county penal institutions in 
the State. The sheriff's house, which is also of concrete, is 
adjacent to the jail. The two buildings, which are com- 
paratively new, are kept in excellent condition, while the sur- 
rounding grounds show careful attention. 

Farming and poultry raising on an elaborate scale constitute 
the work of all male prisoners serving sentences, except for 
those physically incapacitated. Some 50 acres of the 300-acre 
tract of land are under cultivation, while as many more are 
given to hay. Poultry raising, being developed by the sheriff, 
is rapidly becoming a successful and very profitable industry. 
The sale of farm products, poultry and eggs in the wholesale 



66 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



market is reaching such proportions that the sheriff believes 
that within a comparatively few years the institution will be 
self-supporting. No attempt is made to compete with farmers 
in the county. The products are sold to the wholesale markets 
at the prevailing market price. 

The library at the house of correction is one of the best 
conducted of its kind in the Commonwealth, and has 500 se- 
lected volumes, systematically catalogued and patronized by 95 
per cent of the prisoners. 

The food, while plain, was wholesome, and the conditions 
under which it was served made it much more inviting than 
similar menus in mam' of the other institutions visited. 



Suffolk County Jail. 





Males. 


Females. Total. 

I 


Population 

Population January 1, 1921 

Population January 1, 1919 .... 

Population January 1, 1911 .... 

Serving sentences 

Number awaiting trial 

Capacity of institution 


186 
198 
219 
240 
88 
98 
220 


30 
30 
41 
46 
30 

90 


216 
228 
260 
286 
118 
98 
310 



The population follows: — 

Suffolk 167 

Middlesex 25 

Worcester 4 

Norfolk 3 



Hampden . 
Plymouth . 
Essex . 
Outside the State 



1 

1 

1 

14 



Staff. — The jail staff includes: 1 jailer, 1 chief officer, 1 
physician, 1 chief clerk, 1 assistant clerk, 3 pensioners, 1 
steward, 1 first inside officer, 1 second inside officer, 1 third 
inside officer, 1 fourth inside officer, 30 officers, 1 working en- 
gineer in charge, 3 working engineers operating, 1 matron, 1 
first assistant matron, 5 assistant matrons, 3 chaplains. The 
pay roll for the month ending March 31 totaled $6,606.45. 

Maintenance. ■ — The annual cost per capita for maintenance 
at this institution is 8923.58, with an annual food cost per 
capita of $183.85. 



1922.1 



SENATE — No. 280. 



67 



Suffolk 


County House of Corkection 






Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 

Population January 1, 1921 
Population January 1, 1919 
Population January 1, 1911 
Serving sentences 
Number awaiting trial 
Capacity of institution . 








271 
163 
278 
1,045 
271 

1,100 


79 
138 

360 


271 
163 
357 
1,183 
271 

1,460 



The population follows : — 

Suffolk 235 

Barnstable 1 

Norfolk 2 

Worcester 3 



Middlesex 10 

Essex .1 

Outside the State . . .19 



Staff. — Following is the staff maintained at the institution : 
master, 1 assistant deputy master, 1 chief clerk, 32 officers, 1 
matron, 2 organists, 7 firemen, 1 deputy master, 1 physician, 
2 clerks, 2 cooks, 3 chaplains, 1 schoolmaster, 1 chief engineer 
and 1 assistant engineer. The weekly pay roll totals about 
$1,400. 

Maintenance. — The annual net cost per capita for mainte- 
nance is $626.06, with a food cost per capita of $175.88. 

Unlike any other county in the Commonwealth, Suffolk 
County maintains a jail and a house of correction which are 
independent of each other and under entirely separate manage- 
ment. The former is known as the Charles Street Jail, located 
in city proper, while the latter is the Deer Island House of 
Correction, which is on the island bearing that name in Boston 
Harbor. The jail is in charge of the sheriff, elected by the 
voters of Suffolk County, while the house of correction is under 
the supervision of an institutions commissioner, appointed by 
the mayor of Boston. 

The house of correction is used exclusively for male prisoners 
serving sentences, while the jail has male and female prisoners 
under sentence as well as awaiting trial. Practically one-half 
of the population at the jail are serving sentence, regardless of 



68 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

the fact that there are no industries and nothing to occupy the 
time of the able-bodied prisoners except polishing brass, sweep- 
ing floors or exercising for one and one-half hours daily. 

For years there has been little or nothing done toward the 
upkeep of the house of correction property, consisting of 28 
buildings on 96 acres of land, of which 50 acres are under culti- 
vation, while the jail property with its four buildings on 1^ 
acres of ground shows exceptionally good care. Among the 
more recent improvements at the jail is the new administration 
building, which is rapidly nearing completion. 

The manufacture of shoes for the inmates of Suffolk County 
institutions and for the city's poor department, the making of 
clothing for prisoners, and farming form the principal occupa- 
tions for the Deer Island prisoners. Many of the men are also 
employed in various capacities in and about the several build- 
ings on the island. 

Better educational facilities are provided at Deer Island than 
at any other county penal institution in Massachusetts. A 
salaried schoolmaster, designated by the Boston school de- 
partment, has charge of all the classes, which include all the 
grades of a public grammar school. It is largely because of 
the educational facilities that 70 per cent of the prisoners 
patronize the library, which consists of some 1,400 volumes. 

Although there are ample hospital facilities for 65 male 
prisoners, all the sick inmates are sent to the hospital connected 
with the city's almshouse at Long Island, across the harbor. 

Religious services are conducted every Sunday at Deer Island 
by a Catholic priest, Protestant minister and a rabbi, while 
no services of any kind are held at the Charles Street Jail. 

Because of the large decrease in population at the house of 
correction, one of the men's prison buildings was abandoned in 
1917. The women's prison was closed some two years ago, 
when all the female prisoners were transferred to the Charles 
Street Jail. The buildings occupied at the island include many 
which are badly in need of improvement. The first division, 
north cell building, where many of the prisoners are kept, is 
not properly equipped, and it is possible, without much exer- 
tion, to open some of the cell locks from inside the cells. The 
congregate dining room is in one of the older buildings. 



1922.1 



SENATE — No. 280. 



69 



Conditions at the Charles Street Jail compare favorably with 
the best conducted institutions in the Commonwealth. Through 
the liberal application of soap and water the interior of the 
buildings are exceptionally clean. 

Hospital facilities, which have been lacking at the jail, will 
be provided upon the completion of the new administration 
building, which will cost about $248,000. Provision will also 
be made for a large combination chapel and hall, and for a 
congregate dining room for the male prisoners. 

With less than 500 prisoners in these two institutions, the 
Committee believes that the Deer Island House of Correction 
should be abolished, and a considerable number of the able- 
bodied prisoners serving sentences at Charles Street Jail sent to 
State institutions where they can be profitably used by the 
State, and their health and physical vigor not undermined and 
broken by close confinement and idleness within walls with 
little or no yard space. 



Worcester County 


House of 


Correction. 




Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 

Population January 1, 1921 
Population January 1, 1919 
Population January 1, 1911 
Serving sentences 
Number awaiting trial 
Capacity of institution . 








143 
156 
135 
225 
116 
27 
287 


11 
14 
14 

16 
9 
2 

23 


154 
170 
149 
241 
125 
29 
310 



Staff. — The sheriff's data furnished to the Committee state 
that the staff comprises 15 officers and 2 matrons. The Com- 
mittee on its visit to the jail learned that besides the sheriff 
the staff comprised 1 deputy, 16 assistants and 2 matrons. 
The monthly pay roll is given as $2,123.37. 

Maintenance. — The sheriff's report states that the annual 
cost of maintenance per capita for the year ending September 
30, 1920, was $399.88, with a food cost per capita of $113.89. 



70 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



Fitchburg House of Correction (closed). 





Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


- 


- 


- 


Population January 1, 1921 .... 


- 


- 


- 


Population January 1, 1919 .... 


69 


- 


69 


Population January 1, 1911 


116 


- 


116 


Capacity of institution 


174 


- 


174 



Staff. — The staff at this jail consisted of one officer, inside, 
a caretaker in the house and two on the farm. The monthly 
pay roll totaled $704.59. 

The Worcester County Jail and House of Correction in the 
city of Worcester is one of two such institutions maintained by 
Worcester County. The sheriff informed the Committee that 
the Fitchburg Jail and House of Correction had been closed 
since February 1, 1920. The Committee, upon visiting Fitch- 
burg, found the jail and house of correction open, with 21 
prisoners serving sentences and under the guard of the jail 
staff. Later the Committee learned that the Fitchburg insti- 
tution was being used as an annex for the Worcester County 
Jail and House of Correction at Worcester, and that the place 
was "closed" only against commitments from the court and 
"open" to all the transfers the sheriff wished to make from 
the jail at Worcester. 

Twelve acres of the 60-acre farm at the Fitchburg Jail are 
under cultivation. In addition to three horses, the live stock 
includes nine cows and several pigs. The farm products, ex- 
cept those used at the jail, together with 40 quarts of milk 
daily, are shipped to the Worcester Jail and House of Correc- 
tion. 

The jail and house of correction in the city of Worcester 
consists of two old buildings in fairly good condition on an 8- 
acre plot of land, of which 4^ acres are under cultivation. The 
jail building is without fire escapes or other means of egress in 
case of fire. 

Caning chairs for a private contractor is the principal indus- 
try at the jail and house of correction. Sixty men are em- 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 71 

ployed in the caning shop, making anywhere from 40 to 50 
cents a day for the county. The profits for the past year in 
that industry amounted to only $451.29, or about $18.80 a 
year on each prisoner employed. The Commission for the 
Blind has protested against the industry of caning chairs at 
penal institutions, claiming that they are able to do all the 
work of this kind which is available. During the farming 
season many of the men are used on the jail farm. 

A few of the inmates are receiving elementary instruction in 
evening classes. 

The jail has a library of 2,569 volumes, and about 90 per 
cent of the prisoners draw books. Prisoners publish monthly 
"The Intramural Opinion," a magazine " devoted to the in- 
terests of the imprisoned men." 

There is a congregate dining room and limited hospital 
facilities. 

STATE AND COUNTY TRAINING SCHOOLS FOR JUVENILE, 

OFFENDERS. 

HlSTOKY OF ORIGIN OF TRAINING SCHOOLS, 

Since 1850 cities and towns have been required to make all 
needful provisions for the control of truant children. By an 
act of 1873 each city and town was required to provide a 
suitable place for them. For several years children were com- 
mitted to the State Primary School at Monson. 

In 1873 provision was made for the establishment of truant 
schools in counties, on the petition of three or more towns in 
a county. 

By an act of 1881 two or more counties were permitted to 
unite for the establishment of a union truant school. 

In 1873 it was made necessary for towns to adopt by-laws 
concerning truants as one of the conditions of their receiving 
aid from the Massachusetts School Fund. These by-laws must 
name the place for the instruction of the truants. This led to 
the naming of places wholly unfit for the purpose, as most 
towns did not need a separate institution. The State Primary 
School could not accommodate them. Instances occurred in 
which the town by-laws named the State Primary School, the 
State Reform School, the house of a citizen of the town a 



72 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

certain school therein, the almshouse or the lockup as the place 
for the discipline and instruction of truants. With such places 
of assignment as some of these, no judge could deliberately ap- 
prove them and hence no arrests could be made. In Brockton, 
Fall River and New Bedford truants were committed to the 
almshouse. 

It was then proposed that the duty of providing truant 
schools be imposed on the county. Hence the establishment 
of county truant schools. At first, although groups of towns 
petitioned for the establishment of such schools, the pressure 
was not great enough to compel the county commissioners to 
obey the law. 

Hampden County was the first to establish a county truant 
school, in 1880, in the city of Springfield. 

In Essex County the towns petitioned for a school in 1886 
and for several years, but the county commissioners failed to 
act. Each year there was an attempt to exempt Essex County 
from the law, as there were two excellent truant schools in the 
county, — the Plummer Farm School at Salem, maintained by 
a bequest for the benefit of Salem, and the Lawrence Industrial 
School, maintained by the city of Lawrence. Finally, in July, 
1891, the county commissioners purchased the school at Law- 
rence for a county training school. 

A union truant school for the counties of Bristol, Plymouth 
and Norfolk was established at Walpole in 1889. 

In 1888 the county of Berkshire, on the petition of seven 
towns, established a county truant school at Becket. 

Franklin and Hampshire counties united in assigning the 
house of T. L. Barrus of Goshen as the truant school for the 
two counties. This was an ordinary hill-town farm of 200 
acres. L^pon the death of Mr. Barrus, the school, which had 
no inmates for three years, was transferred to the farm of 
A. D. Cordtsen of the same town. On August 26, 1901, there 
was one inmate who did the ordinary work on the farm, and 
was taught by Mrs. Cordtsen, a former school teacher. By 
chapter 256 of the Acts of 1902 this school was abolished and 
the county commissioners were required to assign a truant school 
for commitments. 

In Middlesex County the county commissioners resisted the 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 73 

petitions of the towns for a school for several years. In 1894 
the county was provided with a truant school at North Chelms- 
ford, designed to accommodate 60 boys. 

In the sixty-ninth report of the Board of Education, 1904- 
05, on page 23, it is stated that in the six counties exempted 
from maintaining truant schools of their own "only one of 
these counties, Berkshire, has at any time sent truants to an 
established truant school in another county, and then only 
from three municipalities. ... At the close of the last school 
year 607 boys were in attendance upon the truant schools, and 
of this number, 562, or more than 92 per cent of the whole 
number, came from six cities, ■ — Boston, Somerville, Worcester, 
Lynn, Cambridge and Lawrence." 

In the seventy-first annual report of the Board of Education, 
1906-07, it is stated on page 209: "a recent inquiry reveals the 
fact that 269 cities and towns of the Commonwealth have had 
no pupils in the truant schools during the past five years, and 
presumably most of these never were represented there." 

Until 1895 the courts committed school offenders from the 
city of Boston to Deer Island, where criminals were also com- 
mitted. After that, school offenders were committed to Rains- 
ford Island, which had been bought by the city in 1872, and 
used for hospital purposes. School offenders were committed 
to Rainsford Island until December 24, 1920, when it was 
abolished. 

The Boston Parental School at West Roxbury was opened in 
September, 1895. On July 2, 1914, the Boston Parental School 
was abolished, and a disciplinary day school was opened in 
accordance with the provisions of chapter 738 of the Acts of 
1914. 

By chapter 173 of the Acts of 1921 school offenders from 
Boston are now committed to the training school of Middlesex 
County. 

County Training Schools. 

The Committee visited the five county training schools and 
found great variation in standards as applied to the physical 
care of inmates, their food, work, recreation and education. 
For purpose of comparison, the Committee also visited the 
Lyman School for Boys at Westborough, the Industrial School 



74 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

for Boys at Shirley, and the Industrial School for Girls at 
Lancaster. These three training schools are efficiently man- 
aged, and have the advantage over county schools in being 
well equipped for industrial and vocational work. 



Physical Care. 
While all the county schools give more or less attention to 
the physical condition of the inmates, there is need of a more 
comprehensive system of regular periodic physical examination, 
to the end that existing physical defects of any kind may be 
detected and the remedies applied without delay. 

Food. 
The food in the several training schools varies as much as 
does the educational and recreational programs. The state- 
ment not infrequently made that "these children receive bet- 
ter, more wholesome food, in greater variety, than they would 
under home conditions" is no indication that they receive what 
their physical condition requires. With one or two exceptions 
the food is not what a growing boy should have, and there is 
found a lack of variety, with an excess of starchy foods. In- 
creased cost in the operation of these schools should be no 
argument against furnishing a well-balanced and appetizing 
menu in every one of them. 

Work. 

Generally speaking, the work done by the boys in the county 
training schools consists largely of household duties. W r hile a 
certain amount of this is both proper and desirable, such work 
neither educates nor develops a boy for any definite task. It 
leads nowhere. He is given it to do because it helps reduce 
the per capita cost of conducting the institution. It has no 
part in the boy's future. 

Prevocational work should have a large place in these 
schools. Two of the schools have made a commendable start 
in the right direction, but even in those schools the boys may 
well be given larger opportunity for "finding" themselves. 



1922.] SENATE —No. 280. 75 

Prevocational education includes any form of education designed to 
enable a youth to discover for which one of several possible vocations he 
is best fitted by natural ability and disposition, the program of instruc- 
tion and practice for this purpose being based mainly upon actual partici- 
pation on the part of the learner in a variety of typical practical experi- 
ences derived from the occupations involved. 

Such a constructive program as this suggests should make 
strong appeal to all wellwishers of the unfortunate inmates of 
the countv training schools. 



Recreation. 

With possibly two exceptions, the training schools have made 
no satisfactory approach to the important matter of recreation. 
Recreational opportunities and facilities are inadequate in at 
least three of the schools. One of the schools lacks in space 
set apart for playground, but has a gymnasium and swimming 
pool. The impression one gets from visits to the several schools 
is that no deep conviction has as yet laid hold of the manage- 
ment as to the important part suitable recreation should have 
in schools of this type. This is inexcusable, for these boys 
have not forfeited their right to a happy childhood. 

Dr. David Snedden, formerly Commissioner of Education in 
Massachusetts, has well said: — 

Only in recent years have educators realized the great importance of 
much free play and spontaneous activity in the life of the growing child. 
It is entirely probable that the boy or girl who has spent some years in 
a reform school under a steady routine of almost constant work, however 
mild that may be, but who has had little opportunity for play and free 
activity generally, goes out into the world permanently handicapped, A 
dull, mechanical, somewhat incurious and uninterested attitude is fre- 
quently marked in these children as one of the effects of " institutionaliz- 
ing. ' Grown to manhood and womanhood, these same people will be of 
the plodding, unambitious, and apparently shiftless kind. Of course, our 
educational knowledge is yet insufficient to determine how much of this 
quality is one of the necessary products of weak heredity and early mal- 
nutrition; but there are good grounds for supposing that a more normal 
childhood, during the institution period, so far as play and free activity 
are concerned, would result in some marked differences in output. 



76 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

Education. 

To the extent of their capacity to learn, the boys in these 
schools should be given the advantages of the very best class- 
room instruction. To do this, however, the county training 
schools are not equipped. Made up as the population is of 
normal and subnormal boys, with larger percentage of pro- 
nouncibly feeble-minded, the demand is for experts for at least 
two distinct groups of boys. The county training schools are 
neither equipped nor manned for such instruction. 

To undertake any program of education, for instance, with 
the meager equipment found in some of these schools; with 
teachers, many of whom have no special fitness for the work; 
and where county commissioners are noc infrequently so ab- 
sorbed in other duties as to find little time for considering the 
boy problem, gives little promise of substantial progress. Add 
to this the difficulty of attempting to adapt any single course of 
study which will meet the needs of the varying types of boys, 
and we have an impossible situation. 

A large and undeveloped field of educational effort still exists in the 
case of many defective and unmanageable children who should not be 
put under custodial care at great expense to the State, but in whose train- 
ing the home and specialized schools should be brought into more inti- 
mate co-operation. It is a well-recognized fact that many of the pupils 
who attend the public schools without profit from year to year are ill 
adapted to the curriculum as it is organized for normal children. Some 
large cities now maintain special classes for those defective in hearing or 
sight, for those crippled as to make their presence in the ordinary school- 
room a source of trouble, and for tubercular children. It is often suggested 
that special classes should be formed for those whose speech is defective. 
Special or disciplinary classes for those who do not adapt themselves to 
the control of the ordinary schoolroom have been the subjects of experi- 
ment in a number of cities, and where rightly managed are almost invari- 
ably attended with good results. The studies of retardation made by the 
Sage Foundation indicate the importance of this entire subject. 

It would be advisable to make an inquiry as to the training, by means 
of special classes, of youths who are manifestly not adapted to ordinary 
schoolroom procedure. Medical inspection should assist in the early dis- 
covery of those likely to profit by some kind of special educational treat- 
ment. We already possess excellent examples of what may be done in 
the special education of various types of physically defective children. 
We are still far from having solved to an equivalent degree the problem 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 77 

of those difficult to manage or who are becoming incorrigible. It is doubt- 
ful if a boy or girl should be committed to an institution as long as the 
home is capable of being brought into co-operation with the school for 
the purpose of maintaining proper control of the individual. 

Probably there is needed in American cities and large villages the type 
of day truant school which is now found in many English urban centers. 
Home and school here co-operate, and the child is removed as completely 
as possible from the influences of the street. A typical day truant school 
of this kind undertakes to be responsible for the care of the child from 
ten to twelve out of the twenty-four hours, and by means of attendance 
officers makes certain that the child on leaving school shall proceed 
directly to his home. In such a daj r truant school the time is divided 
between study, industrial training and supervised play. It is essential 
that the child should be kept from idleness, and as far as possible pur- 
posefully employed either in play or work, that his physical energies may 
be fully exercised. Such a school as this, to which children habitually 
difficult to manage could be committed for definite minimum terms and 
on probation, would material^ aid in improving the discipline of the 
regular schools and in removing from the streets children whose influence 
on others is bad. (Seventy-fourth Annual Report of the Department of 
Education.) 

The Committee on February 11 visited the Hampden County 
Training School at Feeding Hills and found conditions which 
made a very unfavorable impression upon every member present. 
Because of information secured from various sources relative 
to the situation at the school, and the neglect of the authorities 
to remedy existing conditions, the Committee again visited the 
school on September 13 and held a hearing at which members 
of the school staff, as well as boys confined in the institution, 
were called upon to testify under oath regarding the education, 
recreation, discipline and food at the institution. The second 
visit, with its careful inquiry, only confirmed the Committee's 
unfavorable opinion of the school. 

Shortly afterward His Excellency the Governor received a 
communication containing serious charges, and later the At- 
torney-General received a communication requesting him to 
investigate conditions at the school. Both communications 
were referred to the Committee, and after making many in- 
quiries a public hearing was ordered by the Committee to be 
held in the county court house at Springfield, and for two days, 
on October 26 and 27, the members thoroughly probed condi- 
tions at the school. Witnesses, including members of the school 



78 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

staff and citizens, were put under oath. The disclosures made 
at these hearings firmly convinced the Committee that the in- 
stitution lacked the essentials for the constructive work the 
school is expected to accomplish, and that a change in the per- 
sonnel of the staff was absolutely necessary. The evidence 
also showed that unnecessary severity in the discipline of the 
school has made it a correctional rather than an educational 
institution. 

Following the Committee's investigation of conditions at the 
Hampden County Training School, the county commissioners of 
Hampden County invited the school superintendents of that 
county to make a survey of the school for the purpose of 
making recommendations, with a view to remedying conditions 
at that institution. The superintendents who accepted the 
commissioners' invitation personally visited the school, dili- 
gently inquired into conditions, and delegated a committee of 
their number to make further inquiry. 

The school superintendents reached practically the same 
conclusions as the Joint Special Committee on County Gov- 
ernment, and their recommendations coincided, in the main, 
with those of the Committee. 

The school superintendents' recommendations follow: — 

A. That a competent director be employed who shall have general 
charge of the establishment, including the farm from an educational 
point of view, and be responsible for the conduct of even- department. 
He should be a man of education and experience in tins field of work, 
preferably a married man whose wife is qualified for the position of 
matron. The director should not have stated teaching duties, but should 
be so qualified as a teacher that he can give stimulating advice to the 
teachers employed to assist him. 

B. That a department of manual training be maintained with a 
teacher trained to conduct it, and that the admirable room intended 
for that work be adequately equipped. 

C. That a physical education department be maintained with a 
specialist in that fine of work at its head, and that regular medical in- 
spection be provided and health records kept. 

D. That two teachers of successful experience in academic work be 
employed. 

E. That a course in gardening "with actual experience in cultivating 
the various garden products on individual plots be undertaken, and 
that the farm be used so far as necessarv for the school. 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 79 

F. That there be a classification of household duties as remunerative 
and non-remunerative, and that there be arranged a system whereby 
certain of the duties about the school may be fulfilled by members of 
the school for which there will be some remuneration. We believe this 
will afford a means of creating among the boys a new interest in their 
social and f amity life. 

G. That there be a definite program for the pupils of the various 
grades following a definite course of study. This is necessary for the 
success of the institution in the educational line. 

H. That the classes in one room at any one time should be smaller 
than the present groups. This could be arranged, since the shop and 
gymnasium will be in operation at the same time, thus making four 
groups instead of two as at present. 

I. That religious exercises of the various groups should be held on 
the Sabbath, and that an opportunity for all boys to attend church be 
provided. 

J. We believe that the question of discipline and the administering 
of corporal punishment will be simplified when the school is organized 
as above recommended. Nevertheless, we are of the opinion that cor- 
poral punishment is at times necessary, and the only method of appeal 
to certain individuals to maintain discipline. We suggest that the officials 
of the school, in the administering of corporal punishment, follow the 
practice of the public schools, which in general practice requires that 
the same be administered under the following conditions: administered 
by the teacher in the presence of a witness, preferably the director, a 
report of the same to be sent to the county commissioners stating the 
reasons for and the amount of punishment, the report to bear the signa- 
ture of the teacher giving the punishment and of the person acting as 
witness. 

K. That the boys be separated so far as is reasonable into age groups, 
and that their work should be done with as little watching as possible 
for the moral effect. It is our opinion that a monitor should be on duty 
in the sleeping quarters during the period immediately preceding and 
following the time of retirement. 

L. That the recess period should be made use of for exercise and 
recreation. 

M. That the boys should be encouraged to use the library, and that 
it be furnished with standard periodicals and magazines of interest to 
boys. That the opportunity afforded by adjacent libraries for the tem- 
porary loan of books be utilized. 

N. That the director of the school appear at stated conferences be- 
fore the countjr commissioners with recommendations for the conduct of 
all departments of the school in much the same way as the superintendent 
of schools makes recommendations to his school committee. 

0. That the teachers eat with the boys at the appointed hours for 
meals, for the purpose of teaching table manners and to give the dining 



80 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

room more of the atmosphere of a place to eat rather than a "feeding 
place." We regard this recommendation as important in view of the 
home influence we think the school should develop. 

We realize that the earning out of these recommendations will neces- 
sarily involve a large increase in the cost of the school, and we believe, 
further, that the school will fail to accomplish its purpose unless more 
generously supported. 

We have confined ourselves in these recommendations to a brief out- 
line of an effective organization. 

This report was signed by W. E. Gushee, president, Chester 
D. Stiles, secretary, Jas. H. VanSickle, J. J. Desmond, W. R. 
Peck and N. J. Bond, for the superintendents of Hampden 
County. 

Little care is exercised in classifying the inmates of the 
county training schools, and no records exist on which to base 
conclusions as to how many of the following groups there are 
in each institution: truants and school offenders, feeble- 
minded, delinquent. 

To the extent that mental defectives are sent to these insti- 
tutions, the schools are called upon to perform the function of 
the schools for the feeble-minded, and the slightest observation 
proves that they do not, as in the nature of things they can- 
not, perform it up to the requirements fulfilled by the State 
schools for this class. 

The feeble-minded should be placed in an institution by them- 
selves. They require special treatment. Their retention in a 
group which is normal and only slightly subnormal, classed as 
u improvables," retards what might otherwise be for some of 
the inmates steady progress toward school efficiency. 

All delinquents should be put in the State training schools 
where the supervisors specialize in the care of juvenile offend- 
ers. As stated in a report of a committee investigating the 
problem of truancy in 1918: — 

A logical line cannot be drawn between the county training schools 
on the one hand, and the State training schools on the other hand, con- 
sidering the children they receive. Experts, including several superin- 
tendents of county training schools, have stated that probably not over 
1 boy in 10 who is committed to the county training schools as a truant 
is a truant only, the other 9 having complications of other offences. 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 81 

With the elimination of the above-mentioned groups from 
the county schools there would remain but a comparatively 
small number of boys classified as truants or school offenders. 
These should be dealt with by the public school authorities. 
Special classes now so generally conducted in all sections of 
the State suggest what can and should be attempted by all 
communities. 

Truancy in a normal boy is something for which the parents 
may be largely responsible. The public school is nearer the 
home than is any other agency, and with the power granted 
school committees there should be a closer relation between 
school and home than generally exists. This close relationship 
should be the means whereby the parents of the delinquent boy 
may be held more strictly accountable for his behavior than 
has been customary in the past. 

In the case of the delinquent, whom it is suggested should 
be sent to one of the State training schools, objection will be 
raised by some that he should not be sent too far from his 
family. There is little to this argument. The State is doing 
the same thing at the present time in its distribution of the in- 
sane, feeble-minded and delinquents at the State training schools. 

The question presenting itself is, what is the aim of the State 
and county in dealing with these unfortunate juveniles? Is it 
to do for them only what is absolutely necessary — keeping 
always in mind the matter of expense? Or is it the duty of the 
State and county to regard them as so many potential citizens, 
for whom every effort should be made, to the end that the 
maximum be attained in moral, physical and intellectual effi- 
ciency? 

Unlike the housing provisions found in State training schools, 
with the exception of the Middlesex County School, no attempt 
is made to carry out the "cottage system" of management. 
The so-called cottages at that school, however, are arranged 
for 50 boys instead of 20, the number generally recognized to 
be a desirable maximum for the best " cottage" supervision. 

In the Essex County school two large dormitories are now in 
use; in the others, one dormitory building in each school. 

Whether the training schools are economically and wisely 
administered, how far they serve or fail to serve the combined 



82 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

educational and disciplinary purpose for which they were es- 
tablished, are fair questions to ask. 

If they fail educationally, they fail utterly, because their 
primary purpose is, as a part of the school system, to supply 
under some restraint and pressure the instruction that the 
public schools were failing to get across because of the per- 
sistent refusal or failure of the boy to co-operate. If they fail 
economically it is in the interest of the taxpayer that they shall 
be differently administered. 

It is open to question if the county is the natural, or justi- 
fiable, unit for either an educational or disciplinary feature of 
administration. Its officials are not charged with educational 
duties. They cannot be expected to supply the supervision or 
to make the provision for any sort of school. The require- 
ment of professionally equipped superintendents of the public 
schools marks the State's reliance upon school men to conduct 
and control the schools, and county commissioners are not 
school men. On the correctional side, the county is not a unit 
for juvenile institutions, the State having long ago taken over 
this important task. 

It is a fair test of any institution to ask whether, if it did not 
exist, the community would now create it. Whatever may have 
been the justification for the training schools when begun, it is 
at least doubtful if, under present standards and organization, 
there could be made out any sort of a case for their establish- 
ment. That they exist proves nothing as to their need. 

If they have a justifiable place, it is as a part of the State's 
school organization. They properly belong under the complete 
control of the Department of Education; (unless they are in- 
stitutions for the feeble-minded, in which case they should con- 
form to the standards and the form of control established in 
the feeble-minded institutions and be assigned to the Depart- 
ment of Mental Diseases; or unless they are correctional in- 
stitutions for juveniles, in which case they naturally fall under 
the control of the Division of Juvenile Training in the De- 
partment of Public Welfare). 

Are they proper correctional institutions? Apparently the 
service these schools are trying to give is correctional more 
than educational. 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 83 

The schools are evidently regarded in certain of the courts, if 
not prevalently, as institutions for delinquents. Instances are 
known of courts that seek to substitute the school offence for 
the delinquent charge in order to commit to the county school, 
for which they have a preference; the preference is local and 
not explained, but probably has some ground in the shorter 
term. The point is that the schools are regarded as serving 
the same end as the State training schools. 

The county schools are not, however, to be ranked with the 
State schools for delinquents. They lack, in some instances, 
at least, anything like the equipment for training. They have 
not the personnel nor the facilities for training of delinquents. 
They particularly lack the parole outfit, which is essential and 
which forms a major feature of the Division of Juvenile Training. 

The State training schools of Massachusetts are rated widely 
as a model. They have facilities for grading, the separation 
into cottages, the individualization of the boy or girl, plus a 
system of placing out under parole which the counties cannot 
in the nature of the case rival. 

Another inherent weakness of the county scheme is that the 
control of the child ends with the school age. It is a settled 
and a fully justified policy of the State that control be retained 
during minority. It is realized that the period beyond sixteen 
is one during which the State should keep up its interest, and 
have that interest expressed in control, if the boy is to be 
brought in line for correct adult behavior. 

The great variation in the resort to the county schools as 
between various cities and towns is an indication that they do 
not have to be relied upon. The commitments do not at all 
follow the proportion of population. Some cities, notably 
Boston and Cambridge, do not use them at all. The conclu- 
sion is unavoidable that the schools are avoidable, — that the 
school attendance problem can be handled successfully in the 
city itself, with special and disciplinary classes. 

To the extent that the county training schools actually exist 
for school offences, apart from a general delinquency, they are 
trying to do what can be better accomplished in the local 
school systems. To the extent that they are localized schools 
for delinquents, they needlessly substitute for the State schools, 



84 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

and at a disadvantage in outfit, in method, in length of the 
period of control, and in parole. 

The population is assignable back to the cities and towns 
for school discipline, or to the State institutions for delin- 
quents, or to the schools for the feeble-minded, to the gain 
both of the children whose lives are involved and to the State 
whose taxpayers and general public interests are to be con- 
sidered. 

There are many recommendations the Committee would 
make should the county training schools be continued under 
county management. 

We believe, however, that the need for county training 
schools, formerly known as county truant schools, has passed. 
Their functions can now be more effectively and economically 
performed by other agencies and institutions conducted by the 
Commonwealth. Accordingly we recommend their abolition, 
and that such legislation as may be necessary be enacted to 
place children confined therein at the time of such abolition in 
the custody of the Division of Juvenile Training of the De- 
partment of Public Welfare. 

Industrial School for Girls at Lancaster. 



Girls. 



Population . 

Population January 1, 1921 
Population January 1, 1919 
Population January 1, 1911 
Normal capacity of institution 



312 
317 
352 

267 



Staff. ■ — There are at this institution 54 officers and 20 em- 
ployees, with a monthly pay roll of $5,000. 

The annual cost per capita for maintenance is $465.36, and 
the food cost per capita is $64.46 per year. 

The Industrial School for Girls at Lancaster is an institution 
of which the Commonwealth may well feel proud. It lacks 
any semblance of a place to which young women are com- 
mitted by the courts, and more closely resembles a girls' 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 85 

academy, with the young women held in restraint only by the 
moral influence of the supervisors. 

The humane and motherly treatment of those in charge is 
reflected through the loyalty the young women display toward 
them on all occasions. Although some of the most unruly 
type of girls are sent to Lancaster, the superintendent believes 
"There's something very fine in the worst of them," as she 
expresses it. Through her manner of appealing to the girls 
through their senses, the superintendent invariably strikes a 
responsive chord. Frequently the affection becomes so deep- 
rooted that girls oftentimes prefer Lancaster to their own 
homes when eligible for parole. For years after leaving the 
school many of the young women make a practice of visiting 
"Auntie," as the superintendent is affectionately referred to by 
the whole school. 

Every case at Lancaster is handled individually, and it is due 
largely to the personal contact the girls have with the super- 
intendent and their respective cottage matrons that the present 
regime has been so successful. The Lancaster school is con- 
ducted on the cottage plan. Upon their commitment to the 
institution the girls are assigned to the receiving cottage, and 
their transfer to other cottages is regulated by their deport- 
ment during their first. three months at the institution. The 
merit system determines their stay at other cottages until they 
are eligible for parole. The last cottage is known as the 
"Parole" cottage, which is conducted wholly by the girls 
themselves. 

Each cottage is a home within itself. The occupants are 
divided into groups, and each group has its household duties to 
perform in addition to attending school daily. Certain hours 
are set apart for needle work, basketry, manual training and 
recreation. Some of the more rugged girls do farm work dur- 
ing the season. For infraction of the rules girls are deprived 
recreation, and are not allowed to attend the amateur theatri- 
cals or entertainments frequently held in the school chapel. 
For running away from the institution, which is regarded as 
one of the greatest offences, the punishment consists of cutting 
the girl's hair. 

The education given at Lancaster is similar to that at the 



86 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



public schools. The teaching staff is made up principally of 
young women trained for the work. 

Catholic services are held Sunday mornings and Protestant 
services Sunday afternoons. 

Although all girls sent to Lancaster are delinquents of some 
type or other, the subnormals are housed at the Bolton cottage, 
which is more than a mile from the main group at Lancaster. 
Maintaining Bolton cottage seems extravagant. The majority 
of those at Bolton should be transferred to one of the schools 
for feeble-minded maintained by the Commonwealth, and the 
milder cases removed to one of the cottages in the main group 
at Lancaster. Taken as a whole, the group at the present time 
housed at the Bolton cottage is the cause of more trouble than 
the entire school at Lancaster. Because of its distance from 
the main group, the Bolton cottage costs as much for main- 
tenance as almost any two of the main group. The weekly pay 
roll, in addition to maintenance, is more than $100 weekly. 



Industrial School 


FOR 


Boys 


at 


Shirley. 






Males. 






279 


Population January 1, 1921 












247 


Population January 1, 1919 








•! 




255 


Population January 1, 1911 












96 


Capacity of institution .... 












270 



The population by counties follows : — 



Barnstable . 


. . 3 


Berkshire . 


. . 3 


Bristol 


. 33 


Essex . . . . 


. . 48 


Franklin 


. 1 


Hampden . 


. 22 


Hampshire . 


. . 3 



Middlesex 51 

Nantucket - 

Norfolk 13 

Plymouth 10 

Suffolk 65 

Worcester 27 



Staff. — The superintendent's report states that there are 65 
employees, including superintendent, with an average monthly 
pay roll of $4,673.81. 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 87 

Maintenance. — The annual cost per capita for maintenance 
based on 1920 costs was $13.48 weekly, with a food cost per 
capita of $2.08 per week. 

The Industrial School for Boys at Shirley is for an older 
class of juvenile delinquents committed by the courts than 
those found at the Lyman School for Boys at Westborough, 
though the offences for which they are sentenced are of a 
similar nature. Like the Lyman School, the school at Shirley 
is built on the cottage plan, and is filled to capacity at the 
present time, though capable of development to a 500-basis. 
through the construction of a few additional cottages. 

The group of cottages is admirably located and sufficiently far 
apart for the proper segregation of the various types of juve- 
niles at this institution. The morale at Shirley compares very 
favorably with the best institutions of its kind throughout the 
country. Through systematic checking at frequent intervals 
it is possible for the supervisors of the various groups to detect 
the absence of any of the boys during the hours they are in 
their respective cottages, in the workshops, on any portion of 
the 900-acre farm or at recreation, even though many of the 
groups during study and working hours may include boys from 
every cottage on the grounds. 

An educational training and character building are first 
taught the boys at this institution, and later they are given an 
opportunity to learn a trade which will be beneficial when they 
are allowed to leave Shirley by the parole department. Courses 
of instruction under competent teachers are given in machine, 
carpentry and blacksmith shops for the larger boys, and in as 
many as fourteen other trades for those of less rugged build. 
Excavation for buildings, rough masonry work and road con- 
struction are done largely by the big boys. 

The merit system plays an important part in the time which 
the boys remain at Shirley, and the follow-up plan is conducted 
by the same officers of the parole department in the State 
Department of Public Welfare, who follow up those paroled 
from the Lyman School for Boys and the Lancaster School for 
Girls. The boys' behavior at Shirley also determines whether 
they shall be permitted to play during recreation hours, or 
whether they may attend the evening entertainments, including 
motion-picture exhibitions. 



88 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



A large percentage of the boys avail themselves of a religious 
training. There are regular weekly Protestant, Catholic and 
Jewish services. Among the Catholic boys there is a Holy 
Xame Society, which every member of that church has joined. 

With the exception of adequate hospital facilities, the Shirley 
School for Boys has practically all the equipment necessary for 
the maintenance of an institution of this kind. The hospital 
building, however, is an old farmhouse, insanitary and unfit 
for hospital purposes. 



Lyman School for Boys at West-borough. 



Males. 



Population 

Population January 1, 1921 
Population January 1, 1919 
Population January 1, 1911 
Serving sentences 



462 
454 
491 
324 

462 



The population by counties is taken from the annual report. 
Of a total of 347 commitments for the year 1919-20, the fol- 
lowing is the number by counties : — 

Hampshire 3 

Middlesex 61 

Norfolk 15 

Plymouth 11 

Suffolk 81 

Worcester 35 



Barnstable . 


. 1 


Berkshire . 


. 11 


Bristol . 


. . 35 


Essex . 


. 51 


Franklin 


. . 3 


Hampden . 


. .40 



Staff. — The superintendent's report gives the number of 
officers, attendants and employees as 100. The monthly pay 
roll at the institution totals $7,500. 

Maintenance. — The annual cost per capita for maintenance 
is 8494.94, with a food cost per capita of $94.03. 

The Lyman School for Boys at Westborough is for the in- 
dustrial training of the younger juvenile delinquents. The 
institution meets practically all the requirements for which it is 
intended. Its population of approximately 500 boys, ranging 
anywhere from eight to fifteen years old, is regarded by au- 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 89 

thorities upon such institutions as the proper maximum number 
for most effective administration, being large enough to secure 
all the advantages of quantity buying, and small enough to 
enable the superintendent to personally supervise the work and 
conduct of each individual. 

Commitments to the Lyman School are principally for break- 
ing and entering, larceny or delinquency. After eight months 
at the institution boys are eligible for parole through the merit 
system, providing they secure 4,000 credits. Infraction of the 
rules operates against the boy. He loses a certain number of 
credits for each offence, but it is only when he persists in doing 
wrong that he is deprived of privileges. Corporal punishment 
is administered only to the obstreperous in extreme cases, and 
then only by the superintendent or his assistant and in the 
presence of at least one witness. There is a disciplinary cot- 
tage on the grounds for those who continually make trouble. 

Character building is the first thing instilled into the boys 
upon their commitment to the Lyman School. An education 
and trade follow. The education is similar to that given in a 
grammar school. For a trade the boys are ordinarily given 
their choice of learning shoemaking, the manufacture of fur- 
niture, or cabinet work, all of which is under the watchful eye 
of competent instructors. Many of the boys are taught farm- 
ing, and work before and after school hours in the cow barn, 
where there are 75 head of cattle, or on the 485-acre farm, of 
which 213 acres are under cultivation. 

After complying with the requirements to the school and 
securing the necessary number of merits, the boys are paroled, 
and may go home or to the home of some foster parents. In- 
vestigation by the parole department determines to which home 
the boys may go. If the boy is to go to his own home, the 
parents must be in a position to handle him, and the surround- 
ings generally must be satisfactory to the parole department's 
salaried visitors. Otherwise the boy is given an opportunity 
of going to the home of foster parents, providing those anxious 
to secure the boy have the approval of the parole department 
after being recommended by three responsible parties in the 
town in which they reside, including the clergyman of the 
denomination of which the boy and his own parents are mem- 



90 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

bers. When a boy must go to a local school after leaving the 
Lyman School, his board, which averages $3 weekly, is paid. 
About 98 boys are out and attending school. From the wages 
received by boys working out, the boys are allowed a small 
portion. The remainder is banked under the direction of the 
superintendent of parole, and given to the boy when he becomes 
of age. At the present time the fund banked by the superin- 
tendent of parole is about $18,000. 

Whether the boy goes to his own home or to that of foster 
parents, his course is carefully watched by the parole visitors, 
and unless his general behavior is satisfactory he is returned 
through the follow-up system of the parole department. 

During their stay at the Lyman School, the boys' physical 
condition is carefully safeguarded. A physician calls daily at 
the school, and upon examination determines whether those 
complaining of any illness are to be sent to the well-equipped 
hospital. A dentist is at the school four days weekly examining 
and treating the teeth of the individuals. Mental tests are 
made by teachers who specialize in that work, and special cases 
are sent to the Psychopathic Hospital at Boston or studied by 
the psychopathic doctor for the Juvenile Court at Boston. 

After the regular school and working hours the boys are 
given time for outdoor recreation under the direction of at- 
tendants from their respective cottages when the weather per- 
mits, and during stormy weather the boys go to the gym- 
nasium. At frequent intervals there are entertainments, at 
which music is furnished by the school band. 

Essex County Training School at Lawrence. 



Males. 



Population 

Population January 1, 1921 
Population January 1, 1919 
Population January 1, 1911 
Serving sentences to-day . 
Capacity of institution 



131 

129 

1411 

153 

131 

140 



1 Including 6 females. 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 91 

All the present inmates are from Essex County. 

Staff. — The training school staff comprises 5 officers and 15 
employees. The monthly pay roll is $1,620.38. 

Maintenance. — The gross per capita cost of maintenance for 
the year ending December, 1920, is given by the superintendent 
in his report to the Committee as $411.73. The cost for food 
per capita during the same period was $69.43. The figures, 
however, do not include the farm products raised at the school. 

Although the Essex County Training School at Lawrence 
reaches a higher degree of efficiency than almost any other 
county training school, it lacks many of the essentials requisite 
for an institution of this kind. The educational facilities af- 
ford little more than the equivalent of an ungraded class. 

Being built on the congregate plan, the Essex County School 
is unsuited to the classification and treatment of juvenile of- 
fenders, and the various types of youthful inmates are allowed 
to mingle in large and small groups to the detriment of the 
younger boys appearing there for the first time. 

Regardless of the difficulties under which the management of 
the institution labors, there seems to be better morale than there 
is at any of the other county training schools, with the possible 
exception of the Middlesex County Training School at North 
Chelmsford. The school officials at the Lawrence school do the 
best they can under the circumstances, and labor incessantly 
in the interest of the boys under their care for the purpose of 
remedying whatever defects they detect through their associ- 
ations with the youthful offenders. Besides providing them 
with an opportunity for an education, such as it is, the official 
staff teach the boys to make shoes, operate a small printing 
plant, and care for live stock, as well as work the farm, and in 
return for the aptitude the juveniles display they are allowed 
reasonable time for recreation and permitted to attend enter- 
tainments. The best boys are given an opportunity to join the 
school band. 

According to the superintendent's figures, the net cost of 
maintenance of the training school is $6.22 weekly, while the 
gross cost is $1.50 a week additional. 



92 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

Hampden County Training School at Feeding Hills. 



Males. 



Population 

Population January 1, 1921 
Population January 1, 1919 
Population January 1, 1911 
Capacity of institution 



52 
49 
29 
100 



The population by counties follows : — 

Berkshire 2 

Hampden 58 

Staff. — The school staff comprises three officers and ten 
employees. The monthly pay roll totals $800. 

Maintenance. — The weekly cost per capita for maintenance 
is given in the superintendent's report as $7.38, while the 
weekly per capita cost for food is $1.71. 

The Hampden County Training School at Feeding Hills is 
an example of what a training school should not be. It lacks 
practically every essential necessary for successful administra- 
tion, as well as every opportunity for classification according 
to age, mental capacity and the possibility of reformation. Its 
management is unskilled. 

Little of a constructive nature is done for the group of small 
boys at the Feeding Hills School. The educational facilities are 
very limited and have little in common with the elementary 
schools in the cities and towns throughout the county. The 
teachers elect their own method of instruction. Because of the 
location of the school, some distance in the country, and be- 
cause of the small salaries the county pays, it is impossible to 
secure experienced teachers and supervisors. 

There is little or nothing at the Feeding Hills school to en- 
courage the juveniles sent there, due largely to the inability of 
the management to handle individual cases. 

For even the slightest infraction of the school rules severe 
punishment is administered by whoever happens to observe the 
violation, and the punishments are reported to the superin- 



1922.1 



SENATE — No. 280. 



93 



tendent in such a desultory manner that he makes no record 
whatever of the number or the individual offences. 

The Hampden County Training School is built on the con- 
gregate plan, and, in the opinion of many authorities, was out 
of date when the construction was started. The boys' dor- 
mitories on the upper floors are not suited for the purposes for 
which they are intended, and there, as in other parts of the 
school, nothing is done for the proper segregation of the various 
types of juveniles. When the Committee visited the institution 
for the first time early in the year complaints were made that 
the boys were locked in the dormitories, and, regardless of the 
danger of such a condition in case of fire, the practice was in 
existence when the Committee made another visit to the school 
later in the year. 



Middlesex County Training School at North Chelmsford, 







Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


83 


1 


84 


Population January 1, 1921 


93 


- 


93 


Population January 1, 1919 .... 


111 


- 


111 


Population January 1, 1911 


182 


- 


182 


Capacity of institution 


200 


- 


200 



The population by counties follows: — 

Middlesex 78 

Suffolk 6 



Staff. — The school staff, besides the superintendent, com- 
prises 4 masters, 1 farm superintendent, 1 engineer, 1 fireman, 
1 baker, 1 storeroom keeper, 1 head matron, 6 matrons, 3 
(female) teachers, 1 (male) teacher, 1 part-time (male) teacher, 
1 clerk, 1 dentist, 1 parole officer, — a total of 25 employees. 
The monthly pay roll is $1,786.31. 

Maintenance. — The annual cost per capita for maintenance 
is given as $9.53 per week, with a food cost per capita of $1.65 
per week. 

The Middlesex County Training School at North Chelmsford 
is the only county training school built on the cottage plan, 



94 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



and affords opportunities for classification of the boys by age 
and possibility of reformation. The buildings are in good con- 
dition, and the equipment is adequate for the purpose of treat- 
ment of the class of youthful offenders sent to such an insti- 
tution, but because of the salaries allowed the superintendent 
is handicapped to a considerable extent in the selection of the 
type of instructors necessary for the proper training of the boys. 

The Middlesex County Training School is the only one of the 
five county training schools which has the services of a parole 
officer, but lacks many of the other requisites necessary for the 
proper training and care of those committed. The boys are 
held at the school for an average of one year and ten months. 
They are paroled for good behavior, and until they are sixteen 
years old are under the supervision of the parole agent. For 
punishment the boys are deprived of the privilege of amuse- 
ments, and corporal punishment is administered only as a last 
resort. 

Cambridge is the only municipality in Middlesex County 
which does not send its juvenile offenders or truants to the 
school at North Chelmsford, and this is due to the fact that 
the superintendent of schools in that city has successfully 
demonstrated the fact that boys and girls of school age may 
be handled under the local school system if the school depart- 
ments are willing to allow a reasonable amount annually for 
prevocational training. One of the features of the institution 
is the school band, made up of picked boys from each of the 
cottages. 



Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth Counties Union Training 
School at Walpole. 





Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


63 


- 


63 


Population January 1, 1921 


62 


- 


62 


Population January 1, 1919 .... 


46 


- 


46 


Population January 1, 1911 


51 


- 


51 


Serving sentences 


63 


- 


63 


Capacity of institution 


50 to 53 


- 


50 to 55 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 95 

The population by counties follows : — 

Norfolk 17 

Bristol 38 

Plymouth ....... 8 

Staff. — The school staff includes the superintendent, 1 head 
matron, 2 teachers, 4 matrons of departments, 1 assistant 
superintendent, 1 farmer, 1 teacher of manual training (two 
days per week), 1 Catholic chaplain, 1 Protestant chaplain, — 
a total of 13. The monthly pay roll of the institution averages 
$695. 

Maintenance. — The annual cost per capita for maintenance 
is $406.12. The annual food cost per capita is $82.33. 

Juveniles at the Union Training School for Boys for Bristol, 
Norfolk and Plymouth counties at Walpole are housed on the 
top floor of what the Committee regards as a veritable fire 
trap. The school building, a three-story frame structure with 
wooden fire escapes erected some fifty-six years ago, is located 
on the summit of one of the hills in the town, and practically 
inaccessible for fire apparatus whenever the roadway to the 
top of the hill is covered with snow or ice. 

All the school activities are within the one building. The 
administration offices, kitchen and dining rooms are on the first 
floor, the classrooms on the floor above, and the sleeping quar- 
ters on the third floor. There are no hospital facilities. The 
quarters formerly used for hospital purposes are now utilized 
for manual training, and hospital cases are sent to the Nor- 
wood hospital. 

The school is maintained by the three counties, — Bristol, 
Norfolk and Plymouth, ■ — and has for its board of trustees the 
chairmen of the three county commissions. Each city and 
town in the counties is required to pay $2 weekly for boys sent 
from the municipality, and the difference in the cost of main- 
tenance is levied proportionately upon the counties. 

Although the school has a staff of three teachers, together 
with one manual training instructor two days weekly, the 
courses do not compare favorably with those at the training 
schools for boys maintained by the Commonwealth. The only 
entertainment consists of an occasional concert. 



96 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

The superintendent personally punishes the boys for infrac- 
tion of the rules. For insubordination, impudence, fighting or 
running away from the school the superintendent uses a piece 
of window cord, administering as many lashes as he believes the 
offence deserves. For minor offences the boys are deprived o 
recreation hours. 

The majority of the boys at the school are from Bristol 
County, and one-half the number from that county are from 
Fall River and New Bedford. 

The school property covers some 55 acres, of which 14 are 
under cultivation. Two-thirds of the land is on the top of the 
hill surrounding the school, while the remainder is on a lower 
level. 

Worcester County Teaining School at Oakdale. 



Males. 



Population 

Population January 1, 1921 
Population January 1, 1919 
Population January 1, 1911 
Capacity of institution 



All inmates are from Worcester County. 

Staff. — There are a total of 10 officers, attendants and em- 
ployees as follows: superintendent, matron, teacher, manual 
training instructor, cook, farmer, laundress, seamstress, super- 
visor, assistant matron. The total monthly pay roll is about 
$700. 

Maintenance. — The annual cost per capita for maintenance 
is $296.59. The annual per capita cost for food is $87.36. 

Seventy-five per cent of the juveniles committed to the 
Worcester County Training School at Oakdale are sent from 
the city of Worcester, where one of the best-equipped school de- 
partments in the Commonwealth has all the facilities for han- 
dling boys of this type. 

Although one of the primary objects of the institution is to 
educate boys sent there, the school is badly handicapped from 
an educational viewpoint. Its teaching force is made up pri- 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 97 

marily of student teachers from the normal school. These are 
transferred at intervals of five or six weeks, and every time a 
change is made there is considerable time lost in rearranging 
the studies. The distance of the school from the nearest 
village, and the inability of the institution to pay adequate 
salaries, operate against securing other than ordinary teachers. 

The boys at the school are divided into two groups. Each 
group spends one-half day in class and the other half day in the 
manual training rooms or on the large farm, of which 20 of the 
80 acres are under cultivation. 

Although the school has a normal capacity of anywhere from 
80 to 100, there never has been a time when there was more 
than 65 per cent of that number committed. Every year the 
city of Worcester, which pays only a small percentage of the 
cost of maintenance, supplies a large majority of the boys, and 
the entire county bears the expense. 

Practically 18 per cent of the boys committed during the past 
year were sent back for a second time because of some infraction 
or other. 

The school is a large wooden building, three stories in height. 
The dormitories are on the second floor, and hospital rooms 
with fifteen beds on the third floor. Fire escapes or other 
means of egress in cases of emergency are lacking, regardless 
of the fact that the nearest piece of fire apparatus, an anti- 
quated model, is more than a mile away, and there is no watch- 
man about the property at night. 

Religious services are provided for the Protestant and Cath- 
olic boys each Sunday in the chapel. 

Musicals, stereopticon lectures and amateur plays are given 
at least once a month. 

STATE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE AND THE COUNTY 
AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS. 

The Committee visited the Massachusetts Agricultural Col- 
lege in order to ascertain the relation of that institution to 
county institutions. Our investigation revealed that there is 
little if any duplication of service between the county agricul- 
tural schools and the State college. The Two-year Short 
Course, established in 1917, is limited by law to students seven- 



98 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

teen years of age or over, while the county agricultural schools 
are limited to students fourteen years of age or over. The 
average age of the 300 short course students at the college is 
over twenty. They are a comparatively mature group. 

It should be mentioned here that the Massachusetts Agricul- 
tural College maintains a vital and effective relation to the 
various county agricultural institutions. Through its exten- 
sion department it renders invaluable assistance and leadership 
to the county farm bureaus in planning and executing projects 
for the advancement of agriculture and home life. Of the 40 
men and women in the county extension service, 9 are gradu- 
ates of the college; of the 31 teachers in the county agricultural 
schools, 15 are graduates; and of the 20 teachers in the agri- 
cultural departments of high schools, 14 are from the State 
college. These facts reveal a real contribution to county 
work. 

For some years past the college has allowed individual gradu- 
ates from the county schools to take special courses at the col- 
lege. This was right and proper. Last year, however, an 
agreement was entered into between the college and the schools 
by which "superior" graduates of the county agricultural 
schools can enter the college to take four years of work as 
candidates for a special degree. There are two or three such 
students now at the college. This arrangement is viewed by 
many with real concern, and the committee seriously questions 
the wisdom of it. If retained, it should be administered in 
accordance with the spirit and aims of the college, and with 
modern educational tendencies. It marks a drift away from 
the original vocational purposes of the schools. 

The county agricultural schools were established as distinctly 
vocational and finishing schools for students over fourteen 
years of age. The supposed aim is to fit graduates to go back 
to the farm as farm workers in the county. A catalogue of one 
of the schools states that — 

This is a school for the farmer's boy who intends to stay on the farm, 
and for any other boy who wants to become an intelligent farmer. The 
purpose of this school is not to give a general education, not to fit young 
people to enter any higher institution, but to qualify them to become 
capable farmers, gardeners, dairymen, fruit growers or poultrymen. 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 99 

This shows a worthy and definite aim. It shows also that 
these schools were never intended to duplicate the work of the 
regular high schools, the definite aim of which is to give a 
general education and to prepare for college. Any deviation 
or expansion from the original purpose, therefore, should be 
scrupulously avoided until such change be permitted by act of 
the Legislature. , 

It seems to the Committee that the county agricultural 
schools should be limited strictly to the specific vocational 
purpose for which they were created. The service they are 
able to render is urgently needed in the counties, and should 
be of inestimable value. They have a legitimate work to do. 
It is for those in charge of the schools to see that they serve 
their several localities as purely vocational finishing schools in 
agriculture. 

The county officials at the present time evidently expect the 
Department of Education to exercise jurisdiction of the county 
agricultural schools only so far as is necessary to enable the 
Department to approve for purposes of State and Federal re- 
imbursement. Since the State, however, is contributing to 
these schools, and in accordance with a wise theory that all 
public education should be unified, it is the opinion of the 
Committee that the Commissioner of Education should be a 
member of the various county school boards of trustees. 

Lack of uniformity in the county system of accounting in 
the agricultural schools and in the financial reports to the 
Legislature render difficult any financial comparison one with 
the other. The schools should adopt a uniform system of ac- 
counting, to the end that unfair comparisons may be avoided. 



Bristol County Agricultural School at Dighton. 




Males. 


Population 


69 


Population January 1, 1921 


54 


Population January 1, 1919 


46 



Staff. — The school staff includes 5 regular instructors, 3 
regular agents, 2 clerks, 1 janitor, 2 dining-room employees and 



100 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

the director. Pupils of the school are on pay outside of the 
regular class hours. The pay for pupils during the fall and 
winter term ranges from 15 to 25 cents an hour, and through 
the summer term, for those pupils who are employed at the 
school farm, the pay ranges from $40 to $65 per month. Noth- 
ing is provided for the pupils except books and schoolroom 
supplies. The total pay roll amounts to about $1,987 per 
month. The per capita cost is $243 annually. 

The Bristol County Agricultural School at Dighton enjoys 
the distinction of being one of the most practical and efficiently 
managed institutions of its kind among county agricultural 
schools. It is a center where a practical agricultural training 
is given in addition to as much of a theoretical education as 
the management believes is conducive to the welfare of the school. 

The school is located on a fertile farm with all the equip- 
ment necessary for successful operation with up-to-date ma- 
chinery. The farm at the height of the season illustrated the 
intensity with which the students applied themselves under the 
supervision of a practical staff of instructors. About one-half 
the area of the 135-acre farm is cultivated by the students, 
either as a part of their regular class work or as part-time em- 
ployees of the school before and after school hours. Through 
their ability to work for a portion of the day on the farm, 
many of the students are not only enabled to become more 
practical agriculturalists, but they also get an opportunity of 
earning enough to pay their living expenses while taking the 
course. 

Agricultural authorities regard the school at Dighton as the 
best example of county agricultural schools in this Common- 
wealth because of the course of training on the farm as well as 
in the classrooms. It is the one institution of its kind which 
is not dominated by the influence of county commissioners, but 
is managed under the supervision of a board of trustees of far- 
reaching vision and highly interested in the study of agriculture. 

The administration and all other buildings in the Bristol 
County Agricultural School group are exceptionally well adapted 
for school work. The work of the school, in addition to the 
class and agricultural work in the school proper, consists of 
extension work with adult farmers and young people interested 
in farming and home-making throughout the county. 



1922.1 



SENATE — No. 280. 



101 



Essex County Agricultural School at Danvers. 





Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 

Population January 1, 1921 
Population January 1, 1919 


157 

111 

70 


87 
69 
20 


244 
180 
90 



Staff. — In addition to the director, the staff includes 26 
teachers and 3 extension service agents, superintendent of 
grounds and 3 employees, and farm superintendent and 5 farm 
employees. The monthly pay roll for the regular staff amounts 
to approximately $4,000 a month, while the weekly pay roll for 
the superintendents and employees on the grounds and farm is 
S300 weekly. 

The maintenance cost is figured at a per capita cost of $260 
annually for the past school year. 

The Essex County Agricultural School at Danvers is the 
largest, best attended and most expensively managed of the 
county agricultural schools in the Commonwealth. Its female 
students number about twice as many as all the students in 
either of the other county agricultural schools, and there are 
about twice as many boys as there are girls at the Essex 
County School. 

The girls are at the school principally for the home economics 
courses. Out of a class of 111 girls, all except two are in the 
various classes in home-making studies, while the two are in 
the agricultural department. Practically every high school in 
the various cities and large towns throughout the county offers 
the same studies to the girls that the female students at the 
Essex County School take up, regardless of the fact that the 
head of the institution figures that the cost of educating pupils 
at the school amounts to $260 per capita annually. Like other 
county agricultural schools, the tuition is free for those who 
live within the county, but for some reason or other the tuition 
fee charged students from outside the county is only $200, or 
$60 a year less than the per capita cost for education. 

Located on a 112-acre plot, the school utilizes for cultivation 
purposes about 45 acres. In addition the school leases the old 



102 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

General Putnam farm, a short distance from the school group, 
for $450 a year, and gets approximately $3,500 worth of farm 
products. The work on both farms is done principally by the 
students inside and outside class hours. For all work done out- 
side class hours, either on the farm or in the care of the live 
stock, the students are paid anywhere from 15 to 28 cents an 
hour. During the past year the crops raised on both farms 
were valued at $8,000. 



Norfolk 


County 


Agricultural 


School 


at 


W 


ALPOLE. 


Males. 


Population 
Population January 


1, 1919 








. 1 


58 
26 



Staff. — The staff includes the director and 7 instructors, 3 
extension agents and a farm superintendent. 

The monthly pay roll for the school is $2,800. 

The maintenance cost is figured at $540 per capita annually 
for the past school year, based on the number of students. 

The Norfolk County Agricultural School at Walpole some day 
will branch out as a college if the management of the institution 
is allowed to expand its activities at the rate they are progress- 
ing at the present time. Although boys of fourteen years are 
admitted, the curriculum has been developed to such an extent 
that the studies during a four-year course include practically 
all instruction given in a two-year course at the Massachusetts 
Agricultural College at Amherst. 

Although the school was originally established as an agricul- 
tural school, only one-half the curriculum is devoted to agricul- 
ture. The remainder of the course includes the study of gen- 
eral science, physics, chemistry, English, history, civics and 
mathematics. 

Regardless of the opportunities offered the boys and girls of 
the county, the attendance is small. The entire membership 
at times is scarcely larger t*han that of a single classroom in an 
elementary school. Six boys constituted the graduation class 
at the last Commencement. 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 103 

The school is located on a 55-acre farm, which is by no 
means the most fertile spot in Norfolk County, and while the 
school building represents a large expenditure of the taxpayers' 
money, many of the class and laboratory rooms located on the 
ground floor are poorly lighted and ventilated. The dairy 
barn, poultry instruction building and all other buildings on 
the property are in keeping with the administration or school 
building, as is the boarding house and dormitory, where 
twenty-three cot beds are crowded into a space 40 feet in length 
and 20 feet in width. 

In a small way the school attempts to emulate the Massa- 
chusetts Agricultural College through the activities of extension 
and farm bureau departments. 

STATE AND COUNTY TUBERCULAR SANATORIA AND 
INFIRMARIES. 

The Commonwealth maintains four large sanatoria well dis- 
tributed geographically. They are located at North Reading, 
Lakeville, Rutland and Westfield. These institutions were in- 
tended for the treatment of incipient cases, and have limited 
equipment for the care of advanced cases. They have long 
since been outgrown and have not sufficient accommodations 
to provide for the heavy demands being constantly made upon 
them. 

In addition to the hospitals maintained by the Common- 
wealth there are six county tubercular hospitals now main- 
tained, respectively, by the counties of Barnstable, Bristol, Es- 
sex, Norfolk, Plymouth and Hampshire, the latter also receiving 
patients from Hampden, Berkshire and Franklin. These insti- 
tutions are more modern, and with greatly improved hospital 
facilities are well adapted for the care of all classes of tubercular 
patients. The county of Middlesex has acquired land for a 
tubercular hospital in the city of Waltham. 

There seems to be a wide variance of opinion among county 
commissioners as to the meaning and purpose of section SI of 
chapter 111 of the General Laws. In Hampshire County there 
has been erected a modest institution with accommodations for 
46 patients at a cost of $67,847.86, or a per capita bod cost of 
$1,475. In Essex County the commissioners have erected one 



104 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



of the finest tubercular hospitals in America to accommodate 
208 patients at a cost exceeding 81,350,000, or a per capita bed 
cost of $6,490. 

In 1916 the law was repealed requiring cities to maintain 
tubercular hospitals, but under that law many of our cities had 
provided themselves with such hospitals. The result is that 
there is considerable overlapping between county and mu- 
nicipal hospitals, which is proving a heavy burden upon the 
taxpayers in return for the service received. 

The Committee finds that there is much confusion and a good 
deal of dissatisfaction with the present treatment of the tuber- 
cular problem in the Commonwealth. On account of the com- 
plexity of the problem and the immense amount of other work 
confronting the Committee, it does not find itself in a position 
to suggest the remedy for the present situation, but recom- 
mends the appointment of a committee to make a thorough 
investigation and study of this most important problem. 

It further recommends the repeal of so much of section 81 of 
chapter 111 as compels the county commissioners to erect one 
or more hospitals in their respective counties. 

Barnstable County Infirmary at Poc asset. 





Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


11 


14 


25 


Population January 1, 1921 


10 


15 


25 


Population January 1, 1919 .... 


11 


15 


26 


Population January 1, 1911 .... 


2 


2 


4 


Capacity of institution 


14 


18 


32 



The population by counties follows: — 



Barnstable 17 

Bristol 4 

Essex 1 



Norfolk 
Middlesex 



Staff. — The hospital staff comprises 1 officer, 3 nurses and 
10 employees. The total monthly pay roll is 81,070.25. 

Maintenance. ■ — The weekly cost per capita for maintenance 
is $24, with a food cost per capita of $12. 



1922.] 



SENATE — No. 280. 



105 



The Barnstable County Infirmary at Pocasset is one of the 
smallest of the county hospitals in the Commonwealth, and is 
utilized for the treatment of hospital and tubercular cases. 
Although of frame construction, the hospital buildings repre- 
sent an outlay of approximately 13,408 for each of the thirty- 
two beds in the institution. The hospital has cost the people 
of Barnstable County $109,077.23, including improvements 
made during the present year. 

From the entire county of Barnstable there are only 17 
patients. In addition there are 4 from Bristol County, 2 
from Middlesex County, and 1 each from Norfolk and Essex 
counties. 

Bristol County Hospital at Attleboro. 





Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 

Population January 1, 1921 .... 


45 
31 


36 
50 


81 
81 



All inmates are from Bristol County. 

Staff. — There are two officers, the superintendent and treas- 
urer, 6 nurses, and from 22 to 25 other employees. There are 
two pay rolls. The monthly pay roll is $545.74, and the 
weekly pay roll will average $500. 

Maintenance. — The cost per capita for maintenance is $12 
weekly, and the food cost per capita totals about $9.03 weekly. 

The Bristol County Tuberculosis Hospital at Attleboro is 
filled to capacity with patients from that county. It is of 
wooden construction, equipped with a sprinkler system for fire 
protection. 

Based upon the capacity of the hospital, the establishment 
cost the county an average of $3,668 per bed. The cost to 
September 1 for the hospital and land was $297,133.68. 



Essex County Tubercular Sanatorium at Middleton. 




Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 

Capacity 


76 
80 


39 
80 


115 
160 



106 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

Staff. — The hospital staff includes the superintendent and 
assistants, nurses, orderlies and other employees, numbering in 
all, 72. The total weekly pay roll averages $1,152.50. 

The maintenance cost for patients is. $26.65 weekly, while 
the food cost weekly is figured at $6.72. 

The Essex County Sanatorium for tubercular patients at 
Middleton is the last word in tubercular hospital construction 
and equipment, according to eminent authorities on archi- 
tecture in Massachusetts. The entire establishment, with its 
elaborate furnishings and costly surroundings, is the most 
palatial hospital in the Commonwealth, and one where the 
expenditure of the taxpayers' money was unstinted. Nothing 
was left undone in the selection of a site nor in the building 
of the plant to make the hospital the best that money could 
buy. No sanatorium in the country has more up-to-date equip- 
ment. Its cost is approximately as much as the combined 
value of all other county hospitals in Massachusetts, and plans 
are underway for further and more expensive development. 
According to figures furnished up to the present time the 
sanatorium has cost the county for land and buildings some 
$1,350,000. What the total cost will be for completing the 
plant will depend wholly upon the judgment of the county 
commissioners, who pride themselves upon the fact that the 
Essex County Sanatorium has no equal in New England. 

Because five of the largest cities in the county — Lynn, 
Salem, Lawrence, Haverhill and Newburyport — have their 
own municipal tubercular hospitals and are exempted from 
contributing toward any part of the expense, the burden for 
building and maintaining this great undertaking falls principally 
upon the towns of Essex County. The hospital is by far too 
much of a financial problem for the cities and towns in what 
is known as the hospital district, and naturally there is much 
dissatisfaction among the municipalities which must bear the 
excessive burden. Under the existing conditions the hospital 
is limited to charging patients from within the county only for 
treatment and care, which is figured at approximately $9.10 
weekly, while the maintenance cost of the institution was 
$26.65 per week for each patient in November, 1921, and the 
food cost alone is placed at $6.72 a week. 



1922.1 



SENATE — No. 280. 



107 



The hospital was originally intended for the accommodation 
of 98 patients, but when the plans were drawn the number 
was greatly increased. The hospital now has a capacity of 
160 beds, 80 for males and an equal number for females. 
Based on the bed capacity of the sanatorium, the cost per bed 
for establishing the institution is $8,437.50. 

Hampshiee County Sanatokium at Haydenvtlle. 





Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


23 


14 


37 




Population January 1, 1921 


20 


11 


31 




Population January 1, 1919 


17 


8 


25 




Population January 1, 1911 l . 


- 


- 


• - 




Capacity of institution 


- 


- 


46 





i Not in existence. 



The population by counties, as patients were admitted during 
the year 1920, follows: — 



Hampshire 40 

Hampden 12 



Franklin 15 

Berkshire 3 



Staff. — The staff, besides the superintendent, includes 4 
nurses, 11 service employees and 2 others. The weekly pay 
roll ranges from $170 to $180. 

Maintenance. — The weekly cost per capita for maintenance 
is given by the superintendent as about $18.43, with a food 
cost per capita of $7.91. 

The Hampshire County Sanatorium at Haydenville for the 
care of tubercular patients is the most inexpensive institution 
of its kind in the Commonwealth as far as the outlay of 
money for its establishment is concerned. The cost for the 
entire plant, land as well as buildings, figures $67,847, and 
represents an expenditure of $1,475 bed. 

Patients at this hospital are principally from Hampshire 
County, although the three other western counties send tuber- 
cular patients to the sanatorium through arrangements with 
the Hampshire county commissioners. 



108 



COUNTY GOVERNMENT. 



[Jan. 



Patients residing within the county are charged $10.50 
weekly. At the sanatorium there is a scale of three prices, 
$10.50 weekly for residents of the county, $18.50 for those 
from outside the county, and $25 a week for former service 
men sent there by the Federal government. 



Norfolk County Hospital at 


Braintree. 




Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 


33 


20 


53 


Population January 1, 1921 


29 


18 


47 


Capacity (8 children) 


38 


24 


70 



The population by counties follows: — 

Norfolk 50 

Suffolk 2 

Plymouth . 1 

Staff. — The superintendent's report states that the em- 
ployees, including superintendent, numbered 49 resident and 6 
non-resident. The monthly pay roll inside the institution is 
$3,188.03, and $772.25 outside, — a total of $3,960.28. 

Maintenance. — The cost per capita for maintenance is given 
as $29.14 per week, with a food cost per capita of $5.99 per 
week. 

The Norfolk County Hospital at Braintree for the care of 
tubercular patients is modern and practically complete in its 
appointments, and has accommodations for 39 male and 24 
female patients in addition to beds for 8 children patients. 

The institution cost the taxpayers of Norfolk County 
$365,000, which means that the per capita bed cost of the 
hospital w x as $5,140. Although the officials of the sanatorium 
figure that it costs $29.14 weekly for the care of each patient, 
the hospital charges patients from outside the county $25 
weekly and those from within the county $9.10. The hospital 
receives the same as other institutions for former service men 
sent there by the Federal government, which is $25 weekly. 

In addition to being superintendent, the head of the hospital 
is also treasurer of the institution. The Committee is strongly 



1922.] 



SENATE — No. 280. 



109 



of the opinion that it is not good business practice to have any 
officer of the hospital act as treasurer, as this function should 
be discharged by the county treasurer. 



Plymouth County . 


Hospital at Hanson 






Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Population 

Capacity of institution ..... 


32 


25 


57 
66 



All except four patients are from Plymouth County. 

Staff. — The hospital staff comprises a total of 34 doctors, 
nurses and employees. The monthly pay roll totals $2,500. 

Maintenance. — The weekly cost for maintenance per capita 
is given as $28, with a food cost per capita of $6.72. 

The Plymouth County Hospital at South Hanson for the 
care of tubercular patients is one of the most beautiful and 
complete of its kind in any county in the Commonwealth. 
Based on the number of beds in the hospital, the institution 
cost the taxpayers of Plymouth County $7,862 per bed. The 
cost of the entire hospital and grounds, covering some 53 acres, 
was $518,896.64. The accommodations for patients are limited 
to 66. 

Two years ago last June the hospital was opened for the ad- 
mission of patients, and the plant therefore is in the early stages 
of development. The number of patients is within nine of the 
normal capacity. 



SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS. 

1. That there be established in the Department of Correction 
a Commission of Correction which shall have general super- 
vision and management of the inmates of the State and county 
penal institutions. Upon the organization of the proposed com- 
mission the Commonwealth shall assume the cost of main- 
tenance of said county institutions, and the Commission shall 
be further empowered with authority to make rules and regu- 
lations for the government, discipline and instruction of the 
inmates, and to discontinue, close or reopen any institution 
under its jurisdiction. 



110 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

2. That the use of the present State Prison be discontinued 
and that a new prison be immediately erected. That the loca- 
tion best adapted for this purpose in the opinion of the Com- 
mittee is Bridgewater, where the State now owns a tract of 
land of 1,400 acres, of which only about two-thirds are under 
cultivation. That this location is both accessible and available, 
and the Commonwealth would be saved the expense of ac- 
quiring additional land. 

3. We recommend the abolition of the county training schools, 
and that such legislation as may be necessary be enacted to 
place children confined therein at the time of such abolition in 
the custody of the Division of Juvenile Training of the De- 
partment of Public Welfare. 

4. That a committee of the Legislature be appointed to make 
a thorough study and investigation of the tubercular problem 
in the Commonwealth. 

5. That so much of section 81 of chapter 111 as directs the 
county commissioners to erect one or more tubercular hospitals 
in their respective counties be repealed. 

ALVIN E. BLISS. 
FRANK L. BRIER. 
GEO. D. CHAMBERLAIN. 
WESLEY E. MONK. 
WALTER E. McLANE. 
JAMES A. GOODE. 
FRANK N. COULSON. 
FREDERIC W. KINGMAN. 
JAMES T. BAGSHAW. 
WALTER T. CREESE. 
CLARENCE P. KIDDER. 

Boston, Mass., December 15, 1921. 

We dissent from the report of the Committee in part, and 
from the recommendations of the Committee for proposed 
legislation. 

HARRY A. COOKE. 

EDWTN G. NORMAN. 

I dissent in full from above report. 

DEXTER A. SNOW. 



1922.1 SENATE — No. 280. Ill 



MINORITY REPORT. 



In regard to the foregoing report I feel obliged to state that 
at the proper time there are certain amendments to the pro- 
posed legislation in regard to the penal institutions of county 
and State which I shall offer. 

I am not entirely in agreement with the rest of the Com- 
mittee in their recommendation as to the change in location of 
the State Prison. 

I dissent from the recommendation to place truant children 
of the counties in the custody of the Department of Public 
Welfare, and I do not share at all in the views stated under 
the head of the agricultural schools, either as to their conclu- 
sion in regard to the Massachusetts Agricultural College or in 
their criticism of the county agricultural schools. 

ROLAND D. SAWYER. 



112 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 



PROPOSED LEGISLATION, 



AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE MORE EFFECTIVE AND 
ECONOMICAL ADMINISTRATION OF PENAL INSTITU- 
TIONS. 

Section 1. Section one of chapter twenty-seven of the 
General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after the word 
"control," in line two, the words: — except as otherwise expressly 
provided, — so as to read as follows : — Section 1 . There shall 
be a department of correction, under the supervision and control, 
except as otherwise expressly provided, of a commissioner of 
correction. The commissioner shall be the executive and ad- 
ministrative head of the department, and shall receive such 
salary, not exceeding six thousand dollars, as the governor and 
council may determine. Upon the expiration of the term of office 
of a commissioner, his successor shall be appointed for three 
years by the governor, with the advice and consent of the council. 

Section 2. Said chapter twenty-seven is hereby further 
amended by inserting after section four the following new sec- 
tion: — Section J^A. There shall be in the department a com- 
mission of correction, consisting of the commissioner who shall 
be chairman, and four associate commissioners to be appointed 
by the governor, with the advice and consent of the council, for 
terms of three years, except that two of the initial appointees 
shall serve for two years, and two for one year. One of the 
associate commissioners shall always be a county commissioner 
and another a sheriff. The associate commissioners shall each 
receive a salary of one thousand dollars and shall be reimbursed 
for actual expenses incurred by them in the performance of their 
official duties. 

Section 3. Chapter one hundred and twenty-four of the 
General Laws is hereby amended by striking out section one and 
inserting in place thereof the following: — Section 1. The com- 
missioner of correction, in this chapter called the commissioner, 
shall have the general supervision of the state prison, the Mas- 
sachusetts reformatory, the prison camp and hospital, the state 
farm and the reformatory for women, and of jails and houses of 
correction. He shall also from time to time cause to be printed 
in convenient form the rules of the board of parole and the 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 113 

statutes relating to the duties and powers of said board, and shall 
annually during the month of January cause to be mailed one 
copy thereof to each justice of the superior and district courts, 
each trial justice, each sheriff and to each master, keeper, warden 
or superintendent of the penal institutions in the commonwealth, 
and to the commission on probation two hundred copies thereof. 
Section 4. Said chapter one hundred and twenty-four is 
hereby amended by inserting after section six the following new 
section: — Section 6 A. The commission shall counsel and advise 
the commissioner on all matters of policy relating to the super- 
vision and control of all penal institutions in the commonwealth. 
It shall have full and free access to all of said institutions and 
to all books, records and documents in the custody of the de- 
partment or of any officer or employee of any of said institu- 
tions. No institution under the control or supervision of the 
department shall be established, removed, closed, discontinued 
or reopened without the approval of the commission. No con- 
tract made by the department, or by any officer or employee of 
a penal institution under its supervision and control, for the 
erection, repair or removal of buildings or other structures 
involving the expenditure of one thousand dollars or more, shall 
be valid until approved by the commission. The commission 
shall make rules for the direction of the officers of such institu- 
tions in the performance of their duties, for the government, 
discipline and instruction of the convicts therein, for the custody 
and preservation of the proper ty connected therewith, for the 
supply of food, clothing and bedding in such institutions, for 
teaching prisoners who are committed to a jail or house of cor- 
rection for six months or more to read and write, fo^ securing 
proper exercise for unemployed sentenced prisoners in jails and 
houses of correction, and for securing medical examination and 
supervision of prisoners in jails and houses of correction punished 
by solitary imprisonment. As soon as may be after such rules 
have been made the commissioner shall submit copies thereof to 
the governor and council, who may approve, annul or modify 
them. The commission may also make such classifications, con- 
solidations and rearrangements of existing institutions or that 
may hereafter be established as will promote economical ad- 
ministration in the application of sound principles of penology. 
It may also designate the particular purpose for which such in- 
stitutions are to be used, the class of inmates to be committed 
thereto, the industries to be maintained therein, and provide for 



114 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

the education and treatment of the inmates. It may formulate 
rules as to transfers among the various institutions in accordance 
with the provisions of law relating thereto. It shall provide, 
where necessary, suitable and convenient places of detention for 
persons held for trial, and the commission shall in all other ways 
insure the proper treatment, government, discipline, instruction 
and employment of the inmates of such institutions. 

Section 5. Section forty-nine of chapter one hundred and 
twenty-five of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting 
at the beginning thereof the words : — Subject to the provisions 
of section six A of chapter one hundred and twenty-four, — so 
as to read as follows : — Section 49. Subject to the provisions 
of section six A of chapter one hundred and twenty-four, all 
contracts on account of the state prison, Massachusetts reforma- 
tory, reformatory for women, prison camp and hospital and state 
farm shall be made by the warden or superintendent in writing, 
and when approved in writing by the commissioner shall be 
binding. The warden and superintendents, or their successors, 
may sue or be sued upon any contract made in accordance with 
this chapter. No such suit shall abate by reason of said offices 
becoming vacant, but the successor of any said officers, pending 
such suit, may, and, upon motion of the adverse party and notice 
shall, prosecute or defend it. 

Section 6. Section fifty-two of said chapter one hundred and 
twenty-five is hereby amended by inserting after the word "de- 
termines," in line six, the words: — subject to the approval of the 
commission on correction, — so as to read as follows: — Section 
52. Such proposals shall be in writing and sealed, and on the 
day appointed shall be opened by the warden or superintendent 
in the presence of the commissioner, who shall cause them to be 
entered in a book and compared. The persons offering the best 
terms, with satisfactory security for the performance, shall be 
entitled to the contract unless the commissioner determines, 
subject to the approval of the commission on correction, that 
it is not for the interest of the commonwealth to accept any of 
the proposals. In such case, no offer shall be accepted, and the 
warden or superintendent, with the consent of the commissioner, 
may contract for any of the articles wanted in a way which shall 
be for the best interests of the commonwealth. Every contractor 
shall give bond in a reasonable sum, with satisfactory surety, for 
the performance of his contract. 

Section 7. Chapter one hundred and twenty-six of the 
General Laws is hereby amended by striking out section one and 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 115 

inserting in place thereof the following: — Section 1. The com- 
mission on correction, in this chapter called the commission, shall 
inspect the prisons in the several counties and shall twice in each 
year, at intervals of not exceeding eight months, visit all such 
prisons, and fully examine into everything relative to the govern- 
ment, discipline and police thereof; and as soon as may be after 
each inspection, the commission shall make and file with the de- 
partment a detailed report of the condition of each prison as to 
health, cleanliness and discipline at the time of inspection, the 
number of prisoners confined there within the preceding six 
months or since the last inspection, the causes of confinement, 
the number of prisoners usually confined in one room, the dis- 
tinction, if any, usually observed in the treatment of the dif- 
ferent classes of prisoners, the punishments inflicted, any evils or 
defects in the construction, discipline or management of such 
prisons, the names of prisoners who have been discharged or 
pardoned or who have died or escaped, and any violation or 
neglect of law relative to such prisons, with the causes, if known, 
of the violation or neglect. 

Section 8. Sections two and three of said chapter one hun- 
dred and twenty-six are hereby amended by striking out the 
word "commissioners" wherever it occurs, and inserting in place 
thereof, in each instance, the word: — commission. 

Section 9. Section four of said chapter one hundred and 
twenty-six is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof the 
following: — Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to affect 
the powers of the commission to make classifications, consolida- 
tions and rearrangements of county jails, houses of correction and 
other penal institutions, and their inmates, as provided in section 
six A of chapter one hundred and twenty-four, — so as to read 
as follows: — Section 4- Jails shall be used for the detention of 
persons charged with crime and committed for trial, committed 
to secure their attendance as witnesses upon the trial of criminal 
causes, committed pursuant to a sentence upon conviction of 
crime or for any cause authorized by law, or detained or com- 
mitted by the courts of the United States. Nothing in this 
chapter shall be construed to affect the powers of the commission 
to make classifications, consolidations and rearrangements of 
county jails, houses of correction and other penal institutions, 
and their inmates, as provided in section six A of chapter one 
hundred and twenty-four. 

Section 10. Section five of said chapter one hundred and 
twenty-six is hereby amended by inserting after the word 



116 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

"sheriff", in line one, the words: — subject to the approval of 
the commission, — so as to read as follows: — Section 5. If 
there are several jails in a county, the sheriff, subject to the 
approval of the commission, may cause the prisoners to be con- 
fined in any of them. 

Section 11. Said chapter one hundred and twenty-six is 
hereby amended by striking out section eight and inserting in 
place thereof the following: — Section 8. The commission shall, 
subject to the provisions of this act, maintain a sufficient number 
of houses of correction, conveniently located in various parts of 
the commonwealth, suitably and efficiently ventilated, with 
convenient yards, workshops and other suitable accommodations 
adjoining or appurtenant thereto, for the safe keeping, correc- 
tion, government and employment of offenders legally committed 
thereto by the courts and magistrates of the commonwealth or 
of the United States. 

Section 12. Said chapter one hundred and twenty-six is 
hereby amended by striking out section eleven and inserting in 
place thereof the following: — Section 11. The commissioner 
shall cause the rules established for the management of the house 
of correction and for the government of the prisoners therein to 
be strictly observed, shall examine all accounts of the master 
relative to the expenses of the institution, and keep such record 
thereof as the commission may order. Any official or employee 
of any institution under the control of the commission who shall 
intentionally fail to carry out the rules and orders established 
for the management and control of houses of correction may be 
removed from office by vote of the commission, subject to the 
provisions of chapter thirty-one of the General Laws. 

Section 13. Section sixteen of said chapter one hundred and 
twenty-six is hereby amended by striking out the words "and 
control", in the first line, and by inserting at the beginning there- 
of the words: — Subject to the supervision and control of the 
commission; and by inserting after the word "officers", in line 
six, the words: — who shall not be subject to chapter thirty- 
one, — so as to read as follows: — Section 16. Subject to the 
supervision and control of the commission, the sheriff shall have 
custody of the jails in his county, and, except in Suffolk county, 
of the houses of correction therein, and of all prisoners committed 
thereto, and shall keep the same himself or by his deputy as 
jailer, master or keeper, and shall be responsible for them. The 
jailer, master or keeper shall appoint subordinate assistants, 
employees and officers, who shall not be subject to chapter 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 117 

thirty-one, and shall be responsible for them. In Suffolk county 
the penal institutions commissioner shall appoint a master of the 
house of correction, who shall hold office during the pleasure of 
said commissioner. A sheriff, who acts as jailer, master or keeper, 
or a jailer, master or keeper appointed by the sheriff, shall give 
to the state treasurer a bond, with such sureties as the superior 
court shall order and approve, conditioned faithfully to perform 
his duties, and shall be reimbursed by the treasurer of his county, 
subject to approval by the county commissioners, for the pre- 
mium paid to a surety company thereon. 

Section 14. Section eighteen of said chapter one hundred and 
twenty-six is hereby amended by striking out the words "county 
commissioners", in the first line, and inserting in place thereof 
the word: — commission; and by striking out the word "county", 
in the third line, and inserting in place thereof the word : — 
commonwealth, — so as to read as follows: — Section 18. The 
commission shall, subject to section twenty of this chapter and 
to section twenty of chapter thirty-seven, establish fixed salaries 
to be paid by the commonwealth for all officers, assistants and 
employees of jails and houses of correction, which shall be in 
full compensation for all their services, and for which they shall 
devote their entire time, not exceeding the time limited by sec- 
tion forty of chapter one hundred and forty-nine, to the per- 
formance of their duties, unless released therefrom by the com- 
missioners. 

Section 15. Section twenty-five of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-six is hereby amended by striking out the word 
"county's", in the second line, and inserting in place thereof the 
word: — commonwealth's, — so as to read as follows: — Section 
25. The keeper of each jail and the master of each house of 
correction shall, at the commonwealth's expense, cause it to be 
constantly kept in as cleanly and healthful a condition as may 
be. No permanent vault shall be used in any apartment. Every 
room occupied by a prisoner shall be furnished with a suitable 
bucket, with a cover, made to shut tight, for the necessary ac- 
commodation of such prisoner, and such bucket, when used, shall 
be emptied daily and shall be constantly kept in good order. 

Section 16. Said chapter one hundred and twenty-six is 
hereby amended by striking out section twenty-eight and in- 
serting in place thereof the following: — Section JS. Subject to 
such rules as the commission may adopt, the sheriff or keeper 
shall, without extra charge or commission to himself or to any 
other person, procure or cause to be procured all necessary sup- 



118 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

plies for the jails and houses of correction, to be purchased and 
provided under their direction at the expense of the common- 
wealth. 

Section 17. Section twenty-nine of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-six is hereby amended by striking out the word 
"county", in the sixth line, and inserting in place thereof the 
word: — commonwealth; by striking out all after the word 
"the", in the seventh line, and inserting in place thereof the 
word: — commission, — so as to read as follows: — Section 29. 
The expense of keeping and maintaining convicts sentenced to 
imprisonment in the jail or house of correction, of the keeping of 
persons charged with or convicted of crime and committed for 
trial or sentence, and of prisoners committed on mesne process 
or execution, so long as the fees for their board are paid by the 
defendant or debtor, plaintiff or creditor, shall be paid by the 
commonwealth after the accounts of the keeper or master have 
been settled and allowed by the commission. 

Section 18. Section thirty of said chapter one hundred and 
twenty-six is hereby amended by striking out the word "county", 
in line two, and inserting in place thereof the word: — common- 
wealth; by striking out the word "county", in line three, and 
inserting in place thereof the word: — state; by striking out the 
words "county commissioners", in line four, and inserting in 
place thereof the word: — commission, — so as to read as fol- 
lows: — Section 30. Masters and keepers of jails and houses of 
correction authorized or directed to expend money in behalf of 
the commonwealth may have money advanced to them from the 
state treasury in such amounts as the commission may approve, 
not exceeding the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars at any 
one time. 

Section 19. Section thirty-one of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-six is hereby amended by striking out the words 
"county commissioners", in line four, and inserting in place 
thereof the word: — commissioner; and by striking out the word 
"county", in line five, and inserting in place thereof the word: — 
state, — so as to read as follows : — Section 31 . Every officer 
applying for such an advance shall certify in writing that the 
amount asked for is needed for immediate use, and, as specifically 
as may be, the purposes for which it is required. The certificate 
shall bear the approval of the commissioner, and when the cer- 
tificate is filed with the state treasurer payment shall be made by 
him to such officer. 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 119 

Section 20. Section thirty-two of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-six is hereby ' amended by striking out the word 
"county", in the second line, and inserting in place thereof the 
word: — state; and by striking out the words "county com- 
missioners", in the third line, and inserting in place thereof the 
word : — commissioner, — so as to read as follows : — Section 32. 
Every such officer shall within thirty days after the receipt of 
an advance file with the state treasurer a detailed statement, 
bearing the approval of the commissioner, of the amounts ex- 
pended subsequent to the preceding accounting, with vouchers 
therefor if they can be obtained. 

Section 21. Section thirty-three of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-six is hereby amended by striking out the word 
"county" where it appears the second time in line two, and also 
in line seven, and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the 
word: — commonwealth; and by striking out the word "Bos- 
ton", in line five, and inserting in place thereof the words: — 
the commonwealth, — so as to read as follows: — Section 33. 
The keeper of the jail and the master of the house of correction 
in Suffolk county shall, at the expense of the commonwealth, 
provide necessary fuel, bedding and clothing for all prisoners in 
their custody upon charge or conviction of crime against the 
commonwealth, and shall present to the auditor of the common- 
wealth a full account of their charges so incurred or incurred for 
necessary furniture for said institutions, which, upon the allow- 
ance thereof by the auditor, shall be paid by the commonwealth. 

Section 22. Section thirty-four of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-six is hereby amended by striking out the words 
"commissioners, or the mayor of Boston," in the first line, and 
inserting in place thereof the word: — commission, — so as to 
read as follows: — Section 34- If the commission direct specific 
rations or articles of food, soap, fuel or other necessaries, to be 
furnished to the prisoners, the keeper or master shall conform to 
such direction; and if he refuses or neglects to furnish the same, 
he shall be subject for a first and second offence to the penalties 
described in section twenty-nine of chapter two hundred and 
sixty-eight for the offences therein mentioned. 

Section 23. Section thirty-seven of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-six is hereby amended by inserting after the word 
"commissioners", in the first line, the words: — approved by the 
commission, — so as to read as follows: — Section 87. On the 
request of said commissioners, approved by the commission, 



120 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

the sheriff of the county shall remove to said farm such prisoners 
as in the opinion of the commissioners can advantageously be 
employed thereon in carrying out sections thirty-five and thirty- 
six, and on the order of the said commissioners the sheriff shall 
return any prisoner to the jail or house of correction from which 
he was taken, or to which he was sentenced. The superintend- 
ents of industrial farms shall have the custody of all prisoners 
removed thereto, and a prisoner who escapes or attempts to 
escape therefrom shall be punished therefor by imprisonment in 
a jail or house of correction for not more than one year. Per- 
mits to be at liberty shall be issued to the inmates of county 
industrial farms and revoked in the manner provided by law for 
the issuance or revocation of permits to prisoners in jails and 
houses of correction. 

Section 24. Section one of chapter one hundred and twenty- 
seven of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after 
the word "correction", in line two, the words: — and "commis- 
sion" shall mean the commission of correction, — so as to read as 
follows: — Section 1. In this chapter "commissioner" shall mean 
the commissioner of correction, and "commission" shall mean the 
commission of correction. "Board of parole" shall mean the 
board of parole of the department of correction. 

Section 25. Section five of said chapter one hundred and 
twenty-seven is hereby amended by striking out all after the 
word "the", in line thirteen, and inserting in place thereof the 
words : — commissioner, in the name of the commonwealth, and 
shall be expended by him for the relief of discharged prisoners, — 
so as to read as follows: — Section 5. The jailer, keeper or 
master of each jail and house of correction shall keep in a bound 
book an exact calendar of all prisoners committed thereto, in 
which shall be recorded the names of all prisoners, their places 
of abode and additions, the time, cause and authority of their 
commitment, and, if they have been committed upon a sentence 
on conviction of crime, a description of their persons and such 
facts as, with the entries in the prison book, will enable the 
sheriff or penal institutions commissioner of Boston to make the 
reports to the commissioner required by section ten. He shall 
record in the same book the time and authority for the release 
of every prisoner released and the time and manner of the escape 
of a prisoner escaping. A jailer, master or keeper neglecting to 
keep such calendar or to enter such facts therein shall forfeit 
one hundred dollars, which shall be recovered by the commis- 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 121 

sioner, in the name of the commonwealth, and shall be expended 
by him for the relief of discharged prisoners. 

Section 26. Section eight of said chapter one hundred and 
twenty-seven is hereby amended by striking out the words 
"county commissioners", in line eleven, and inserting in place 
thereof the word: — commissioner; and by striking out all after 
the word "the", where it occurs first in line fifteen, and insert- 
ing in place thereof the words : — commissioner, in the name of 
the commonwealth, and shall be expended by him for the relief 
of discharged prisoners, — so as to read as follows: — Section 8. 
Each jailer and master of a house of correction shall have a 
prison book, in which he shall keep an account of the value of 
the labor of the prisoners, of the salaries of officers and of articles 
furnished for the support of the prisoners, the quantity of such 
articles, of whom bought and the price paid, classified as fol- 
lows: cost of provisions, including the portion consumed by the 
family of the jailer or master; of clothing; of beds and bedding; 
of medicine; of medical attendance; of religious or secular in- 
struction; of fuel; of light; allowance to discharged prisoners; 
allowance to witnesses in money or clothing. The prison book, 
verified by the oath of the jailer or master, shall be exhibited to 
the commissioner when his accounts* are presented for examina- 
tion, and at other times when demanded. A jailer or master who 
neglects to keep such book or to enter therein such facts, or who 
wilfully makes any false entry therein, shall forfeit one hundred 
dollars, to be recovered by the commissioner, in the name of the 
commonwealth, and shall be expended by him for the relief of 
discharged prisoners. 

Section 27. Section ten of said chapter one hundred and 
twenty-seven is hereby amended by striking out, in line five, 
the words "county commissioners"; by striking out the word 
"commissioner", in line nine, and inserting in place thereof the 
word: — commission; and by inserting after the word "pre- 
scribe", in line nine, the words: — The commissioner shall sub- 
mit said reports to the commission, — so as to read as follows : — 
Section 10. Annually, on or before December fifteenth, the war- 
den of the state prison, the superintendents of the Massachusetts 
reformatory, of the reformatory for women, of the prison camp 
and hospital and of the state farm, and annually, on or before 
October fifteenth, sheriffs and the penal institutions commissioner 
of Boston, shall make a report to the commissioner of the sala- 
ries of . prison officers, of the number and cost of support of 



122 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

prisoners, and of such other details relative to the management 
and discipline of the several prisons as the commission may pre- 
scribe. The commissioner shall submit said reports to the coml 
mission. The warden or superintendent shall also include in 
his report the amount of liabilities and outstanding claims of 
said institutions, the names of their debtors and creditors, the 
amounts due to or from each and when they are payable, de- 
tailed accounts of expenditures for the prisons for the year ending 
the preceding thirtieth day of November, the cost of all changes 
made in the buildings thereof, the names, position, pay and 
allowances of every officer or employee thereof, the average cost 
of the support of each prisoner, the number of volumes in the 
library of each prison, and such other facts relative to said 
prisons as the commissioner considers proper. An officer who 
refuses or neglects to make such report at the time prescribed 
or who withholds it after said date shall forfeit one dollar for 
each day's neglect, which shall be deducted from his salary or 
compensation at the first monthly payment after his default 
has been reported to the proper auditing or disbursing officer. 

Section 28. Section thirteen of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-seven is hereby amended by striking out the words 
''county commissioners", in line four, and inserting in place 
thereof the word: — commission, — so as to read as follows: — 
Section 13. The jailer, master or keeper of a jail or house of 
correction, except in Suffolk county, may be removed by the 
superior court for neglect of duty or for wasteful or extravagant 
use of supplies, upon complaint of the commission, after notice 
to the sheriff and the person complained of and a hearing. 

Section 29. Section nineteen of said chapter one hundred and 
twenty-seven is hereby amended by striking out, in line one, 
the word "commissioner", and inserting in place thereof the 
word: — commission; and by striking out, in line four, the word 
"he", and inserting in place thereof the words: — The commis- 
sion, — so as to read as follows: — Section 19. The commission 
may institute a system of physical training, including military 
drill and organized athletic sports in any penal institution in the 
commonwealth, to be under the direction of the director of 
physical training of the department. The commission may pre- 
scribe the powers and duties of the director and may adopt rules 
and regulations to carry out this section. 

Section 30. Said chapter one hundred and twenty-seven is 
hereby amended by striking out section twenty and inserting in 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 123 

place thereof the following: — Section 20. The commission may 
provide for grading and classifying the prisoners in the state 
prison, the Massachusetts reformatory, the reformatory for 
women, the prison camp and hospital and the state farm, es- 
tablish rules for dealing with the prisoners in the state prison 
according to their conduct and industry, and with the prisoners 
in the Massachusetts reformatory, the reformatory for women 
and the state farm according to their conduct, industry and labor 
and diligence in study. 

Section 31. Section twenty-one of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-seven is hereby amended by striking out the word 
"He", in line one, and inserting in place thereof the words: — 
The commission; and by striking out, in line six, the word 
"commissioner", and inserting in place thereof the word: — 
commission, — so as to read as follows : — Section 21 . The 
commission shall, as far as practicable, so classify prisoners 
sentenced and committed to jails and houses of correction, with 
reference to their sex, age, character, condition and offences, as 
to promote their reformation and safe custody and the economy 
of their support, and to secure the separation of male and female 
prisoners. Sheriffs may classify prisoners in houses of correction, 
subject to revision by the commission. The master or keeper 
of a jail or house of correction shall ascertain whether a prisoner 
committed thereto upon a sentence of six months or more can 
read or write. 

Section 32. Section forty-four of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-seven is hereby amended by striking out the words 
"or county commissioners", in line four, and inserting in place 
thereof the words : — commissioner or, — so as to read as fol- 
lows: — Section 44- If a person confined in a jail or house of 
correction upon a conviction or charge of crime is refractory or 
disorderly, or wilfully or wantonly destroys or injures any article 
of furniture or other property or any part of such prison, the 
sheriff, commissioner or penal institutions commissioner of Bos- 
ton, respectively, after due inquiry, may cause him to be kept 
in solitary imprisonment not more than ten days for one offence, 
and during such imprisonment to be fed with bread and water 
only unless other food is necessary for the preservation of his 
health. 

Section 33. Said chapter one hundred and twenty-seven is 
hereby amended by striking out section fifty-one and inserting in 
place thereof the following:- — Section 51. The commission shall 



124 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan'. 

determine the industries to be established and maintained in the 
respective institutions under its control. The prisoners in said 
institutions shall be employed in said industries under regulations 
which shall be established by the commission; but no contract 
shall be made for the labor of prisoners, except that, with the 
approval of the commission, prisoners may be employed in cane 
seating and the manufacture of umbrellas under the "piece price 
system", so called. 

Section 34. Said chapter one hundred and twenty-seven is 
hereby amended by striking out section sixty-five and inserting 
in place thereof the following : — Section 65. If the commission 
and the warden, superintendent, master or keeper of any institu- 
tion named in section fifty-one consider the employment of 
prisoners or a part of them upon the piece price plan expedient, 
the commissioner shall advertise for bids therefor, which shall be 
opened publicly, and a copy and record thereof shall be kept by 
the commissioner. If the commission considers it inexpedient to 
accept any of such bids, contracts may be made with other per- 
sons. Copies of all contracts for the employment of prisoners 
shall be kept by the commissioner, and shall at all times be open 
to public inspection. 

Section 35. Said chapter one hundred and twenty-seven is 
hereby amended by striking out section sixty-eight and inserting 
in place thereof the following: — Section 68. The warden, super- 
intendent, master or keeper of any institution named in section 
fifty-one may, with the approval of the commissioner, appoint 
agents who, under such regulations as the commission shall es- 
tablish, shall purchase tools, implements, materials and ma- 
chinery and sell manufactured goods as aforesaid. They may be 
removed at the pleasure of the officer by whom they were ap- 
pointed, and shall receive such compensation as said officer, with 
the approval of the commissioner, shall determine. The com- 
missioner shall have no authority to purchase or sell any articles 
for any institution. 

Section 36. Section seventy-one of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-seven is hereby amended by striking out in lines two 
to five, inclusive, the words "the state prison, the Massachusetts 
reformatory, the reformatory for women, the prison camp and 
hospital and the state farm shall be paid to the commonwealth, 
and the receipts from the labor of prisoners in a jail or house of 
correction to the county", and inserting in place thereof the 
words : — all institutions to which this chapter applies ; by strik- 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 125 

ing out in line seven the words "or county"; by striking out in 
lines eleven, twelve and thirteen, the words "the receipts from 
the labor of prisoners in the state prison* the Massachusetts re- 
formatory, the reformatory for women, and the state farm", and 
inserting in place thereof the words: — such receipts; and by 
striking out the words "into the county treasury", in the last 
line, and inserting in place thereof the words: — to the com- 
monwealth, — so as to read as follows: — Section 71. At least 
once in each month the receipts from the labor of prisoners in 
all institutions to which this chapter applies, and so much 
thereof as is necessary to pay the expenses of maintaining the 
industries in said institutions shall be expended from the state 
treasury for that purpose, but not until schedules of such 
expenses have been sworn to by the warden or superintendent 
and approved by the commissioner. Whenever, in the opinion 
of the state auditor, the accumulated funds in the state treasury 
from such receipts exceed the sums necessary to pay the expense 
of maintaining the industries by which they were produced, the 
state auditor shall direct that the surplus be transferred from 
these accounts into the general fund or ordinary revenue of the 
commonwealth. Receipts from any of the institutions shall be 
applied to paying the bills of that institution only. The warden 
or superintendent of the state prison, Massachusetts reformatory, 
reformatory for women or state farm shall, as often as he has in 
his possession money to the amount of ten thousand dollars 
which he has received under the provisions of sections fifty-three 
to sixty-seven, inclusive, pay it to the commonwealth; and the 
master or keeper of a jail or house of correction shall, as often as 
he has in his possession such money to the amount of five thou- 
sand dollars, pay it to the commonwealth. 

Section 37. Section seventy-two of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-seven is hereby amended by striking out in lines 
two, three and four, the words "in, the state prison, the Massa- 
chusetts reformatory, the reformatory for women, prison camp 
and hospital and the state farm; and by striking out in lines 
seven to eleven, inclusive, the words, " Bills for tools, implements, 
machinery and materials purchased by, and the salaries of per- 
sons employed in, the jails and houses of correction under said 
sections shall be paid monthly by the county, upon schedules 
prepared and sworn to by the master or keeper and approved 
by the commissioner, — so as to read as follows: — Section 7:2. 
Bills for tools, implements, machinery and materials purchased 



126 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

by, and the salaries of persons employed under sections fifty-one 
to seventy, inclusive, shall be paid monthly by the common- 
wealth, upon schedules prepared and sworn to by the warden or 
superintendent and approved by the commissioner. The sched- 
ule of bills for tools, implements and machinery and of bills for 
materials and salaries shall be kept separate from each other and 
from the schedules of bills incurred for the maintenance of the 
prison, reformatory, jail or house of correction. 

Section 38. Section seventy-three of said chapter one hun- 
dred and twenty-seven is hereby amended by striking out, in 
lines nine and ten, the words ", if the claim or suit is made or 
brought by or against the warden or superintendent," and by 
striking out, in lines ten, eleven and twelve, the words " , or, if 
made or brought by or against the master or keeper, be approved 
by the county commissioners.", — so as to read as follows: — 
Section 73. The warden, superintendent, master or keeper of 
any institution named in section fifty-one may sue or be sued 
upon any contract of purchase or sale made by him under sec- 
tions fifty-one to seventy, inclusive. No suit shall abate by 
reason of a vacancy in any such office, but the successor of any 
such officer may, and upon motion of the adverse party shall, 
prosecute or defend it. The warden or superintendent, master 
or keeper may submit a controversy relative to such contract 
or an action thereon to the final determination of arbitrators or 
referees, who shall be approved by the governor. 

Section 39. Section seventy -seven of said chapter one hun- 
dred and twenty-seven is hereby amended by striking out the 
word "county" in the second and again in the third line, and 
inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the word : — com- 
monwealth, — so as to read as follows: — Section 77. All 
money received under the three preceding sections shall be paid 
to the commonwealth, and the expense of employing prisoners 
thereunder shall be paid by the commonwealth in the manner 
provided in section seventy-one. Payment for material sold or 
labor performed thereunder shall be made to the master or keeper of 
the jail or house of correction where it is prepared or performed. 

Section 40. Said chapter one hundred and twenty-seven is 
hereby amended by striking out section eighty and inserting in 
place thereof the following: — Section 80. A prisoner removed 
to the prison camp and hospital shall be held in the custody of 
the superintendent thereof, and shall be governed, employed and 
treated according to rules and regulations to be established by the 
commission. 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 127 

Section 41. Section eighty-two of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-seven is hereby amended by inserting after the word 
" commissioner", in line one, the words: — , with the approval 
of the commission; by inserting after the word "hospital", in 
line four, the words: — or from jails or houses of correction; by 
inserting after the word "also", in the same line, the words: — , 
with like approval; and by inserting after the word "hospital", 
in line nine, the words : — or of the sheriff, — so as to read as 
follows : — Section 82. The commissioner, with the approval of 
the commission, may purchase or lease land, with funds specifi- 
cally appropriated therefor by the general court, for the purpose 
of improving and cultivating the land by the labor of prisoners 
from the prison camp and hospital or from jails or houses of 
correction; and the commissioner may also, with like approval, 
make arrangements with officials of the commonwealth and 
officials of towns to employ the said prisoners on any unimproved 
land and in the construction, repair and care of public institu- 
tions and public ways adjacent thereto. When prisoners are so 
employed they shall be in the custody of the superintendent of 
the prison camp and hospital or of the sheriff. There shall be 
paid to the commonwealth monthly, for the labor of any prison- 
ers employed as above provided, such sums as may be agreed 
upon between the commissioner, the superintendent of the prison 
camp and hospital, and the other parties in interest. Expendi- 
tures from any appropriation to carry out the purposes of this 
section shall be made upon schedules, with vouchers, approved 
by the superintendent and the commissioner; but the expendi- 
tures in any year shall not exceed the amount of the receipts 
during that year from the employment of prisoners as aforesaid. 

Section 42. Section eighty-four of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-seven is hereby repealed. 

Section 43. Section eighty-five of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-seven is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 
three and four, the words "and with the consent of the county 
commissioners if she is in a jail or house of correction", — so as 
to read as follows: — Section 85. The commissioner may, with 
the consent of a woman serving a sentence in the reformatory for 
women or in a jail or house of correction, contract to have her 
employed in domestic service for such term, not exceeding her 
term of imprisonment, and upon such conditions, as he con- 
siders proper with reference to her welfare and reformation. 
If in his opinion her conduct at any time during the term of the 



128 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 

contract is not good, he may order her to return to the prison 
from which she was taken. 

Section 44. Said chapter one hundred and twenty-seven is 
hereby further amended by striking out section ninety-two and 
inserting in place thereof the following : — Section 92. The 
commissioner may, at the expense of the commonwealth, furnish 
instruction in reading and writing for one hour each evening, 
except Sunday, to prisoners in the jails and houses of correction 
who may be benefited thereby and who wish to receive it. 

Section 45. Section ninety-three of said chapter one hundred 
and twenty-seven is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 
two, five and eight, the word: "county", and inserting in place 
thereof, in each instance, the word: — commonwealth; and by 
striking out, in line seven, the words "county commissioners", 
and inserting in place thereof the word: — commission, — so as 
to read as follows : — Section 93. The keeper or master of a 
jail or house of correction shall, at the expense of the common- 
wealth, provide a copy of the Bible or of the New Testament for 
each prisoner under his charge who is able and wishes to read, 
which may be used by him at proper seasons during his confine- 
ment. He may, at the expense of the commonwealth, provide 
books and papers for such prisoners but not exceeding in cost 
one hundred dollars a year. The commission may, in their dis- 
cretion and at the expense of the commonwealth, provide moral 
and religious instruction for such prisoners. 

Section 46. Section one hundred and twenty-two of said 
chapter one hundred and twenty-seven is hereby amended by 
striking out, in lines two and three, the words "in the state 
prison, Massachusetts reformatory, reformatory for women or 
state farm"; and by adding at the end thereof the words: — 
The expense of supporting or transferring all inmates in any 
institution to which this chapter applies shall be borne by the 
commonwealth, — so as to read as follows: — Section 122. The 
expense of the commitment of any person sentenced to imprison- 
ment shall be paid by the county from which the prisoner is 
committed, and shall be allowed in the same manner as other 
expenses in criminal cases. The expense of supporting or trans- 
ferring all inmates in any institution to which this chapter 
applies shall be borne by the commonwealth. 

Section 47. Section one hundred and twenty-three of said 
chapter one hundred and twenty-seven is hereby amended by 
striking out the first sentence, so as to read as follows : — Section 
123. The expense of removing a prisoner to or from a state 



1922.] SENATE — No. 280. 129 

institution by order of the commissioner shall be paid upon bills 
approved by him, out of the appropriation for the removal of 
prisoners, except that when a removal is made at the request of 
the trustees of any institution, or under section one hundred and 
seventeen or one hundred and eighteen, the expense thereof shall 
be borne by the institution from which the prisoner is removed. 
The expense of removing a prisoner to the Bridgewater state 
hospital or to a state hospital shall be paid by the prison from 
which the prisoner is removed. 

Section 48. Sections one hundred and twenty-four, one hun- 
dred and twenty-five and one hundred and twenty-six of said 
chapter one hundred and twenty-seven are hereby repealed. 

Section 49. Said chapter one hundred and twenty-seven is 
hereby further amended by striking out section one hundred and 
twenty-eight, and inserting in place thereof the following: — ■ 
Section 128. Permits to be at liberty to prisoners in any in- 
stitution to which this chapter applies may be granted by the 
board of parole. Permits so granted shall be issued by the com- 
missioner on notification by the board. 

Section 50. Section one hundred and forty of said chapter 
one hundred and twenty-seven is hereby amended by adding at 
the end thereof the following: — Said permit shall be issued by 
the commissioner on notification by the county commissioners or 
by the penal institutions commissioner of Boston, — so as to 
read as follows: — Sectio?i llfi. If it appears to the county com- 
missioners, or, in the county of Suffolk, to the penal institutions 
commissioner of Boston, that a prisoner in a jail, house of cor- 
rection or workhouse convicted of an offence named in section 
fifty-three of chapter two hundred and seventy-two or of drunk- 
enness, and sentenced for a term or for non-payment of a fine, 
has reformed and is willing and desirous to return to an orderly 
course of life, they may issue to him a permit to be at liberty 
during the remainder of his term of sentence. Said permit shall 
be issued by the commissioner on notification by the county com- 
missioners or by the penal institutions commissioner of Boston. 

Section 51. Said chapter one hundred and twenty-seven is 
hereby amended by striking out section one hundred and forty- 
one and inserting in place thereof the following: — Section 141* 
A probation officer may, with the consent of the sheriff, or, in 
Suffolk county, of the institutions commissioner of Boston, in- 
vestigate the case of any person imprisoned in a jail or house of 
correction upon a sentence of not more than six months, or upon 
a longer sentence of which not more than six months remain un- 



130 COUNTY GOVERNMENT. [Jan. 1922. 

expired, or for failure to pay a fine, for the purpose of ascer- 
taining the probability of his reformation if released from 
imprisonment. If after such investigation he recommends the re- 
lease of the prisoner, and the court which imposed the sentence, 
or, if the sentence was imposed by the superior court, the dis- 
trict attorney, certifies a concurrence in such recommendation, the 
sheriff or the institutions commissioner may, if he considers it 
expedient, release him on parole, upon such terms and conditions 
as he may prescribe, and may require a bond for their fulfilment. 
The surety upon any such bond may at any time take and sur- 
render his principal, and the sheriff or the institutions commis- 
sioner may at any time order any prisoner released by him to 
return to the prison from which he was released. This section 
shall not apply to persons held upon sentences of the courts of the 
United States. Releases so granted shall be issued by the com- 
missioner on notification by the sheriff or institutions commis- 
sioner, as the case may be. 

Section 52. Said chapter one hundred and twenty-seven is 
hereby amended by striking out section one hundred and sixty- 
four and inserting in place thereof the following: — Section 164- 
The sheriff or keeper may, at the expense of the commonwealth, 
provide a prisoner released from a jail or house of correction with 
such amount of money as in his opinion can be wisely used to 
encourage his reformation, or he may pay it to a suitable person 
designated by him to be used for such prisoner. 

Section 53. Said chapter one hundred and twenty-seven is 
hereby amended by striking out section one hundred and sixty- 
five and inserting in place thereof the following: — Section 165. 
The master or keeper of a jail or house of correction may, with 
the approval of the commissioner, expend such amount, not ex- 
ceeding ten dollars, in aiding a prisoner discharged from his 
custody as in his opinion will assist such prisoner in his endeavor 
to reform. He may in his discretion pay it to the prisoner, or 
to some person selected by the master or keeper, to be expended 
by him in behalf of the prisoner or for providing the prisoner 
with board, clothing, transportation or tools. The amount so 
paid by a master or keeper shall be allowed and paid by the com- 
monwealth like other prison expenses. 

Section 54. Section two of this act shall take effect as pro- 
vided in the constitution. All other provisions thereof shall take 
effect on the date when the commission established by section 
two reports its organization to the state secretary as required by 
section four of chapter thirty of the General Laws. 



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